Guardian Wings
by LoneHowl
Summary: It was an unknowing trade, their bodies for hers. Circumstances beyond their control switches the roles of Guardian and Guarded as Destruction's predecesor steps up to take control. Can the bonds of trust outweigh the pain of heartbreak?
1. Once is Hard Enough

Hello, people! Yeah, I know, starting another without finishing my other... eight? Well, this one just wouldn't leave me alone, and it begged me to write it, so I have to obey.

Now, before I start this, I have to say something. I'm not getting reviews. I know for a fact that people are reading, but I'm not getting reviews, and that has to change. Hit Counter is a wonderful feature.

Dis: I don't down Baten Kaitos, but I wish to GOD I did because it is the BEST game to ever make contact with my Cube controller.

* * *

"_Don't you have a family you belong to, Arietta?" she was asked. The person who asked her was a boy of nineteen, with blue eyes and blue hair. Arietta couldn't help but feel the waves to sorrow radiating from the bond the two shared._

'Yeah, I do… But I love it here. It's so boring back home, and I don't want to go back to that life!_' Arietta responded. It was sunset, and the forest around them was steadily getting darker. The open portal was slowly getting smaller; her window of opportunity was vanishing with the sun. Her bonded looked at the portal for a second then back at her._

"_You should hurry…" he said softly. His eyes grew, if possible, even sadder than they were. Not trusting her voice, Arietta only nodded. The boy sent a wave of what can only be described as friendship laced with sorrow. "I'll miss you, Ari. You were the best Guardian Spirit a guy could ask for. I promise we'll meet again somewhere." Through her tears, _can spirits even shed tears?_ Arietta grinned._

'I'll hold you to that promise. If I never see you again, I won't forgive you, and I'm a vengeful little spirit._' Arietta unconsciously used a saying that her charge had used many times before. Steeling herself, she felt the bond between them break. She waited helplessly as she was drawn into the almost non-existent portal. Her last thought before she lost sight of his face, and her consciousness, was very simple, but possibly one of the most meaningful things she ever remembered saying._

"_I'll never forget you, Kalas…"_

-------

Arietta opened her stormy blue eyes. The first thing she noticed was that she was crying, and she had an emotional tightness in her heart that was almost physically painful. Some of her brown hair was sticking to the wet spots on her face.

She blinked to push the rest of her unshed tears out of her eyes, and glanced at the digital clock by her bed. The green digits glared back at her, announcing to the world that it was two-thirty-eight in the morning. She sighed almost inaudibly and thought back to the reason she woke up.

'_That dream again…_' she thought. '_Why won't it stop? It's just like my magic; it only reminds me of the fact that I'm not there any more._'

Wiping her wet face on a corner of her blanket, she turned over, trying to get a few more hours of sleep before her alarm forced her out of bed. Sleep eluded her, however. She tossed and turned for hours, not able to get comfortable or get the memories of her old friends out of her head.

-------

"_-ever lied straight to your face! No one ever stabbed you in the back! You might think I'm happy, but I'm not gonna be okay!_" Simple Plan's _Welcome to My Life_ lyrics shattered the silence. Groaning, Arietta looked at the offending clock-radio with a glare that amounted to nothing short of pure hatred. She had apparently been able to fall asleep again earlier, though not long before the clock decided to obey its programming. Grumbling about early mornings, Arietta firmly decided that mornings sucked with only five hours of sleep and trudged into the bathroom to shower.

Deftly twisting the shower handle, she set it to the right temperature on the first try with the ease of practice. While the water heated up, Arietta looked at her reflection in the mirror that was over the sink. Tired, gray-blue eyes stared back at her from a pale face. Her normally semi-wavy brown hair was frizzy and wavy almost to the point of curly from sleep. Her overly-large night shirt was hanging off of one shoulder, and her two necklaces were backwards.

Stripping off her nightclothes, she put herself under the hot water and sighed happily. Quickly washing her hair and body, she soaked up the glorious heat for a few more minutes before reluctantly turning off the shower and grabbing her two towels. She wrapped one around her head and one around her body before walking out of the bathroom and straight into her bedroom to get dressed. She only half listened to the radio as she got dressed, but a news report grabbed her attention.

"_-ter of the park today. Nothing is known about the strange phenomena, but people are advised to stay out of the park if at all possible, as authorities aren't sure what caused the vortex to open or what it did. Eyewitnesses claim that two oddly-dressed people stepped from it and then it vanished without a trace. Witnesses claim that it was a man with blue skin wearing some sort of armor and a woman with oddly-colored hair. Both are considered very dangerous, and if you have any information, please contact…_"

Arietta stood dead still for a second, letting the information sink in. The report occupied most of her thoughts as she finished putting on her red shirt and jeans, wolfed down her breakfast, and rode the bus.

She went through her day normally, the news report finally fading as she concentrated on her schoolwork.

Her day went pretty well, considering that it was a Friday, at least until her boyfriend stopped her at her locker at the end of the day.

"Arietta… hi…" he said, obviously nervous about something.

"Oh, hi, Robert. Listen, I'm really sorry about not being at last week's dance, but I had to babysit as soon as I got off work. How was your weekend?" Arietta asked. Her bright expression faded as Robert shifted uneasily from one foot to the other.

"Yeah, about the dance…" he trailed off. "Listen, is it okay if we don't see each other for a while?"

"Why, is something wrong?" Arietta was immediately concerned.

"Well… You see, Melissa kissed me at the dance… And she asked me to be her boyfriend and… I told her I would be," he finally said after many hesitations. Arietta felt a growing pain in her heart akin to what she felt when she dreamt about those last precious minutes with Kalas and she dreaded what he was going to say next. Finally, the pain became too much and she started to cry. She stared unblinkingly at him through her tears as he continued. "I wasn't even thinking about you at the time, and I had said yes before I realized it. I'm sorry, but it's over." With that, he turned and walked away.

Tears continued to fall and Arietta's legs gave out. She fell to her knees in front of her open locker. She took a deep, shuddering breath and let it out as even more tears made themselves known. Suddenly, completely on autopilot, Arietta grabbed her bag, closed her locker, and ran from the building.

She ran all the way to the park without realizing it. Collapsing under a tree, she gave into the tears and started sobbing.

It felt like hours to her before the sobs subsided and she looked around. Still hiccupping, she realized she was in the park and the report from that morning came rushing back to her. Getting up quickly, she gathered her scattered books and hurried to her house.

As she walked, her deep sadness froze into rage. Her tears turned into the insane desire to use the magic she brought back with her and she had to repress the urge to scream out her favorite of her six spells.

She was in her bedroom before she knew it. She collapsed on her bed and fresh tears tried to fall. She looked at the blurred picture of her former boyfriend through her tears and her rage returned.

"Hellfire," she growled. She felt a slight shiftof her magic and thephoto burst into flames. The flames quickly spread to the tissues and other things on her nightstand. Panicking, Arietta sat up, held out one of her hands to the flames, and quickly chanted, "I am the water, dispeller of fire. Guardian Spell: Sacred Spring!" A larger shift of magic and a rush of water put out the fire and her rage dissipated again.

Burying her face in her pillow, Arietta let her tears soak into the soft material.

"How could he?" she moaned softly to herself. Sitting up, she looked at her ceiling though tear-filled eyes and yelled, "Haven't I suffered enough? First I lose Kalas, now Robert! Why me?" The ceiling didn't answer. That's when her watch beeped repeatedly, signaling to her that it was two-forty-five and that she only had ten minutes before she was late to work. Her eyes widened as she jumped up and hurriedly tried to changed her shirt. Her work shirt was half-way over her head as she ran from her room. The shirt was blue and in the left side of the chest, there was a white ink bottle and paper, the symbol for the store she worked at.

She ran out the door.

* * *

There. Now, REVIEW and tell me if you like it or hate it, and look at that scenario thing in my profile and give me your answer in a REVIEW, and one more thing. I have no originality what so ever when it comes to names, so if you can give me a good name for Ari's best friend, please do. She's short and skinny and acts like she's on constant sugar high. Give me your suggestion in a REVIEW. 


	2. But Twice is Near Impossible

Hey, people. Well, person, since only ONE PERSON bothered to review my last chapter! -glares-

Btw, two questions for you, Phoenixfire. One, in Nihal (i think that's it) Desert, why does Kalas keep fainting and two, do I need to grab a few Pristine Waters or something?

Dis: _The author is broke, and thus it is time for the Laywers of Author Sueing to once again leave her alone. The chase is over._

* * *

The shirt was blue and on the left side of the chest, there was a white ink bottle and paper, the symbol for the store she worked at. 

She ran out the door.

As she ran, she thought back to her relationship with Robert. She was about ready to slap herself when she saw all sorts of little clues that she never noticed before, but she wasn't given the time to really think about it because the store she worked at was rapidly approaching.

_Paper and Ink_ was a rather small bookstore, but they made decent profit. It wasn't a hole-in-the-wall, or tucked away in some distant corner, but it was small compared to the huge bookstores that major cities have. The important thing was that they sold most of the major authors.

Arietta ran in, past one of the counter-girls, to the back, where Mark was. Mark was basically her supervisor. Arietta peeked in, not really wanting to deal with him right now. Seeing no one, she cautiously tiptoed into the room.

"You're late."

The voice made her jump. Whirling around, she unconsciously started forming one of her spells. She let the half-spell dissipate when she saw it was only Mark.

"Only by a minute! Now, just give me my job and leave me in peace. I had the crappiest day in history and I don't want to deal with anyone other than a customer," Arietta snapped. At the mention of her 'bad day', her chest tightened painfully. Mark gave her a half-hearted glare, but said, "Fine. Today all you have to do is wander around and help people if they need it." Arietta nodded and left the back room. She slid her 'hi-I'm-more-than-happy-to-help-you' smile on and started her job.

-------

Two days previous

"Light Flare!" a female's voice yelled over the fray. A brilliant flash of light-based magic hit four of the monsters and they died.

"Nice shot, Xelha!" a boy yelled. He looked to be at least nineteen or twenty, with blue hair and blue eyes. He was wearing brown pants and some sort of shirt covered by a ragged brown cloak. In his hands were a sword and dagger. He took a swing at another monster. "Damn it! No matter how many we kill, they just keep coming!" he growled. As soon as he said it, all of the monsters that were previously attacking vanished.

On the ground in front of them was an envelope. In thin, spidery writing on the front, was a name.

_Kalas_

Said person put away his weapons and picked up the envelope carefully. Seeing that it wasn't going to explode, he opened it. Inside was a note in the same spidery handwriting.

_Destruction is destroyed, and now it's time for Chaos and Discord to reign supreme. What better place to rule from than the City of Gold? The Ocean shall vanish once again, the Land shall take flight, and so, too, shall its inhabitants, as anarchy takes form._

_Eris_

Kalas looked at Xelha.

"I think we need to gather the group again, Kalas," Xelha said quietly. Kalas nodded.

A day later, the six of them plus Ayme and Folon stood in the Duke's Mansion in Mira.

"What do you think it means?" Kalas asked. The note lay open on the tablebetween them.

"Well, 'Destruction' obviously means Malpercio, but I don't know about the 'Chaos and Discord' bit." Gibari said as he scratched his head.

"The City of Gold is Mintaka." Ayme said without missing a beat.

"'The Ocean shall vanish once again, the Land shall take flight, and so, too, shall its inhabitants, as anarchy takes form.'" Lyude read. "Does that mean that the Islands will be in the Sky again?"

"And if the Islands be in the Sky again…" Mizuti trailed off.

"The people will have Wings of Heart again…" Kalas finished for her.

"It says 'as anarchy takes form'… does that mean that everything will fall into chaos?" Savyna finally spoke up.

"Oh! The Great Mizuti be reminded of something!" Mizuti exclaimed. "The Great Kamroh told Mizuti that he found an interdimensional crack! He told Mizuti that the crack be leading to another dimension. The crack be opening and closing, and Spirits be coming through. If someone goes through while it be open…"

"We could get the Spirit back!" Xelha exclaimed.

So it was decided that Ayme and Folon would go through, since Mizuti said that the crack wouldn't let anyone who ever had Wings go though. After being allowed to prepare and rest for the night, Mizuti showed them where the interdimensional crack was. It was in the heart of Nekton. After a moment's hesitation, the two soldiers stepped through.

-------

Arietta was at the counter. Her shift was over, so all she wanted to do was get a new book and drown herself in whatever fantasy world it had. Anything to get her mind off of her ex-boyfriend. However, fate at another thing planned. She was browsing the shelves for a book, when she came across an all-too-familiar tome. The leather-bound hardcover jumped at her at once, and she picked it off the shelf. Looking at the first page, she saw the sentence that, by now, she knew by heart; the sentence that had started her adventure as a Guardian Spirit.

"In this world, there are things that people mustn't touch…" she recited.

"_God, why does Mark always have to give me the big sorting jobs?" she grumbled. There were five other boxes besides the one she was in front of. Getting up, she tried to stretch her legs, but accidentally knocked over one of the other boxes. Swearing violently under her breath, she was about to pick up the fallen books and put them back in the box when one book caught her eye. _

_It was a thick leather-bound volume, with a gold trim. On the front was a crest of some sort; a heart with a pair of raven wings and crossed swords. She flipped to the first page. There was only one line._

"_In this world, there are things that people mustn't touch…" she read aloud. She made a small sound of disagreement. "Who cares?" She put it and the other spilled books back into the box and went back to her job._

_It had taken her hours, but she eventually had all the books sorted and shelved. That's when it happened. At first, she only felt light-headed. Then the feeling escalated into a full-blown migraine. Arietta hissed in pain and suddenly collapsed as the world around her went black._

Arietta grinned slightly at the memory. At the time, the book had been empty except for that one line. Now, as she flipped through it again, she saw that it had words in it, as well as a title.

"Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean..." she murmured. She snapped it shut and told the third-shift girl, Anne-Marie, that she wanted the book.

"Odd," Anne-Marie said as she rung up the purchase, "I don't remember this book coming in…"

"You also don't have sorting duty," Arietta retorted, grinning. Anne-Marie grinned back.

"Yeah. Well, have a good weekend. I think tomorrow's your day off?"

"Yep. Thank th-" she cut herself off, about to say 'the Whale' and changed it at the last second, "God for that." Anne-Marie gave her a strange look but didn't say anything. Arietta waved at her and left.

The sun was setting, and the streets were steadily getting darker. Arietta had taken out her new book and began to read. That's probably why she didn't notice the person in front of her until they ran into each other.

"Oh my god, I'm so sor-" Arietta started, and then she saw that it was Melissa, "Okay, no I'm not." With that, Arietta picked up her book from the ground, and ran home, her heart pounding. She could feel her magic surging in response to her emotions, and forced herself to calm down. With her mother working late, her brother gone for two weeks, and her father on a job that would take him all week, Arietta was able to go directly to bed without being questioned.

-------

The next morning, Arietta woke up with the sun, due to another nightmare. Unable to sleep any more, she got dressed and headed out for the day, leaving a note for her mother on the fridge. She wandered around Rose Plaza for a while, before growling in frustration and looking at the clock on her cell phone. Seven-thirty-three. _Paper and Ink_ opened at eight.

Stamping her foot, Arietta gritted her teeth to stop from casting a spell in her frustration.

"Hey, you."

Arietta jumped and spun around so fast she had to wait for her hair to settle to aim her half-formed Shining Seraph. The male voice that said that was so very familiar, and she never thought she'd hear it or any of the others again.

About ten feet in front of her was a man and a woman. The man had very pale skin, borderline translucent, with dark eyes and blue and orange hair with the orange so dark that it passed for brown. He was wearing jeans and a leather jacket, but even with this appearance, he was unmistakable. He had a cocky smirk on his face, and he swayed back and forth slightly, in and out of a light fighting stance.

The woman had dark skin and light eyes, the opposite of her partner. Her hair, though, was a shocking shade of violet, and it earned her odd looks from the early-morning passersby. She was wearing jeans and a denim jacket, and she bounced a little on the balls of her feet, as if ready to move at a moment's notice. She also had a cocky grin, but not as intense as her male counterpart. She, too, was unmistakable, despite her appearance.

Ayme and Folon. Two people that Arietta thought she would never see again. In a strange way, she was glad to see them, but she was mostly on-guard, since they had only really helped once.

"Whoa, whoa!" Ayme yelled, eyes glued to the spell. Folon also kept his eyes trained on the gathered power. "We were sent to find someone, and we wanted to know if you knew her!"

"Yeah, some chick with a weird name!" Folon added. "Ari-something!"

Arietta glanced around. Seeing no one, she motioned for them to go into the alley behind _Paper and Ink_. They complied, and they waited for her to join them before they spoke again.

"We were sent by a friend of ours," Ayme started, placing an odd emphasis on the word 'friend'. "He told us to find his old partner; I think her name was Ariella? Aritta? Something like that."

"Arietta?" Arietta supplied. Folon nodded.

"That's it," he said, and Ayme agreed.

"And since you're so clearly using magic," Ayme gestured to the magic gathered in Arietta's hands, "I'm assuming you're her."

Arietta nodded cautiously.

"We can't explain why, since we really don't know ourselves, but they want you back. Folon," Ayme looked at the other soldier, "when should a crack open next?"

Ignoring Arietta's confused look, Folon reached into his pocket and took out an odd-looking device.

"Right…about…now," Folon said. As if on cue, the wind picked up drastically, making Arietta wonder if someone had a Wind Blow Magnus activated. At the end of the alley, time and space itself seemed to open.

"Our one-way ticket back home!" Folon yelled over the wind. With that, he ran headlong into the crack. Ayme followed. Arietta liked at the crack. Even as she watched, it was slowly shrinking; reality knitting itself back together. Not wasting any time on second thoughts, she jumped through.

She landed in a forest clearing. Ayme and Folon were back to their original appearances. Arietta got off the ground where she landed. Looking around, she almost started crying at the place she would know in her sleep. Nekton, the Forest of Spirits.

* * *

There. I'm trying to get all (or most) of my ideas out now, so I'm sorry if this seemed rushed. I'm also sick right now, so that may have had something to do with it. 

So now go REVIEW!


	3. Meeting Old Friends

Hi again. Guess what? I FINALLY BEAT THE GAME! -still can't believe that it's over and can't wait for the next one- I almost cried at the end. I just got so into the game that at one point I had a hard time believing that it had to end. I spent so much time on that game. And I saw the final scene, when the Spirit gets sent back, and I know mine from chapter one doesn't match, but I'm leaving it like that, since I like it.

Dis: if i owned the game, would i be this excited about beating it? probably not.

* * *

She landed in a forest clearing. Ayme and Folon were back to their original appearances. Arietta got off the ground where she landed. Looking around, she almost started crying. She would know this place in her sleep. Nekton, the Forest of Spirits.

"We don't have time to mess around. Follow us," Ayme said, quickly taking control. Arietta nodded silently, still trying to grasp the fact that she was in Mira. She was so deep in her thoughts that the two Imperials were leading her up to Calbren's mansion before she knew it.

She watched as the guards quickly stepped aside to let the three of them pass. The two loose-cannon soldiers led her to a large room on the top floor of the mansion. Through the door, she could catch bits of conversation.

"…shouldn't have…them go! I don't…them!" Even through the think wooden door, there was no mistaking that voice. Arietta almost cried. Kalas!

"They were…people…the job. We are all…here," Savyna's voice replied. That was when Folon got fed up and opened the door. He and Ayme walked confidently into the room, while Arietta stood behind them shyly, her inferiority complex not letting her bring attention to herself.

"Speak of the devils," Gibari's voice said from somewhere on her right. "You guys find her?"

"The Great Mizuti be sensing something peculiar. Odd. Strange. But it be familiar, too," Mizuti's odd voice put in.

"See for yourselves," Folon said, and he moved aside so they could see Arietta.

Arietta herself was fighting back tears. Everyone was the same as she remembered. She took a shuddering breath in an attempt to steady her nerves.

"Who are you?" Kalas asked, a little harshly.

"Kalas!" Xelha cried.

"Kalas…? Is that really you?" Arietta finally said. Kalas stopped dead. Arietta took a few steps forward. Then, unable to stop herself, she ran and caught him in a bone-crushing hug. "I missed you so much!" She looked at his face. He still looked a little confused. "Kalas, it's me. Arietta!" Recognition bloomed instantly over his features. Behind him, she could hear Xelha gasp happily.

"Arietta? It's really you? My Guardian Spirit?" he asked in disbelief. That was when Savyna stood up.

"How do we know she's really your Spirit?" she asked.

"Savyna?" Gibari asked questioningly.

"No, she's right," Lyude spoke up. "How can we be sure she's really Kalas's Guardian Spirit?"

"How can you guys say that?" Kalas asked. Arietta let go of him.

"Go ahead," she said quietly, "ask me anything." Savyna looked as if she wanted to say something, but couldn't find the words. She looked at Kalas.

"There are plenty of things only you and your Spirit know. Ask something." Kalas looked surprised, but nodded and looked at Arietta.

"Uh… Lemme see…" he looked thoughtful for a minute, and then asked, "Why did Gramps come to Mira?" Arietta could tell he really didn't want to bring this up, but answered anyway.

"Because he wanted to keep you and Fee safe and away from the Empire." Kalas nodded his confirmation, and Savyna nodded her acceptance.

"It be her," Mizuti put in, nodding.

"Can we get back to the matter at hand?" Lyude asked. Everyone nodded. Arietta felt herself slide back into her Guardian Spirit mindset. She listened as they discussed the note, and, like she had so many times before, she waited for them to ask her opinion. And, just like old times, they did.

"So what do you make of this, Arietta?" Kalas asked. Everyone turned to her.

"Well, there's something about it that sort of makes sense, but I'm not sure how. Back home, some people believed in the Roman Pantheon, and there was a goddess named Eris who ruled over Chaos and Discord in the Pantheon, but…" She didn't get any farther than that, because Gibari interrupted.

"Are you SERIOUS?" he exclaimed. Arietta nodded.

"I think we should discuss this more tomorrow." Savyna cut in, glancing outside. The sun was setting, and the light was fading quickly. Arietta stood up when Kalas and the others did. She opened her mouth to ask where she would stay when Mizuti grabbed her arm. It was so odd for Arietta to see her younger friend without her usual mask.

"Arietta be staying with us, yes?" the wizard girl asked hopefully.

"All of us girls are in one room, and the guys are in another," Xelha clarified. Arietta grinned and nodded.

"As if I would miss a chance to have a slumber party with my friends?" she asked rhetorically. Mizuti's face lit up and Arietta found herself being dragged down the hall by the floating teen.

Mizuti brought her to a door on the floor below where they were talking.

"This be where the girls sleep. The Great Mizuti be so happy to be seeing you again! Extremely! Very much!" Mizuti said. She opened the door and pulled Arietta inside. The room was simple. There were three beds and a table, along with a balcony that overlooked the mansion's extensive gardens.

"Oh wow…" Arietta breathed as she looked out at the gardens. "I was never able to see all this when I was here with Kalas…"

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Savyna's voice asked. Arietta jumped and turned around, gathering some of her magic out of habit. She let it dissipate when she recognized Savyna's face.

"Yeah…" she said. She looked back at the huntress to find herself being studied.

"How old are you, anyway, Arietta?" Savyna asked. Arietta blinked.

"Seventeen, why?"

"Seventeen? But the Great Mizuti only be sixteen!" Mizuti cut in.

"Yeah, and you're probably able to kick my butt in a magical fight," Arietta told her.

"So you were only fifteen when you met Kalas?" Savyna ignored Mizuti's outburst. "How did that happen?"

"I was at work, when I passed out from a severe headache. When I woke up, I was in Nekton, looking at Kalas. Of course, when I got back home, they told me that I had hit my head when I passed out and fell into a coma," Arietta said thoughtfully. That was when Xelha walked in.

"We're going to take a walk through town," she announced. The three on the balcony nodded and followed Xelha out the door.

"So, this is what you really look like?" Gibari asked Arietta a few minutes after the group of seven had left the mansion. "Funny, I thought you'd look, I dunno, more powerful."

Kalas started laughing.

"Are you saying I look WEAK, Gibari?" Arietta asked. She could feel her magic roiling under the surface.

"Not at all!" Gibari hurriedly reassured. "I was just saying how you don't look like someone who saved the world!" Arietta gritted her teeth and balled her hands into fists in an attempt to keep from yelling out her fire spell.

"I can't say what I wanted to, because if I did, you'd burst into flames," she said through clenched teeth. The rest of the group laughed, and in all, it was a pretty nice evening.

The next morning made itself known to Arietta in the most creative way yet. She quickly learned that, even though alarm clocks didn't exist in this world, ice-water did.

"That was COLD, Xelha. You could have woken me up some other way, other than an Aqua Burst Magnus. I wouldn't have minded being shaken awake," Arietta grumbled as the older mage giggled.

"We tried, and three times you rolled over and fell asleep again."

Arietta couldn't think of anything to say to that, knowing that it was true.

They were back in what Arietta figured out was the Conference Room, discussing the odd note.

"So, Arietta, tell us more about this goddess from your home," Lyude said. Arietta opened her mouth to say something, but didn't get the chance to because an Imperial soldier ran in.

"Emperor Lyude!" he wheezed, having obviously run from somewhere, "You must see this!"

"What is it?" Lyude asked, ignoring Arietta's startled look and standing up.

"It's the Ocean, sir. It's receding!"

* * *

There you have it. This probably won't be a very long fic, and it'll probably be kinda fast-paced, but I hope you like it, now REVIEW! 


	4. Hearts Take Flight

I'm so sorry this took so long to get out, I had the WORST time trying to figure out how to word that emotional scene, andI still only half-like it.

Anyway...

Dis: if i owned Baten Kaitos, would i be playing it for hours on end? ...probably... but if i owned Baten Kaitos, would i be writing about it on a fanfiction site? probably NOT.

* * *

"So, Arietta, tell us more about this goddess from your home," Lyude said. Arietta opened her mouth to say something, but didn't get the chance to because an Imperial soldier ran in. 

"Emperor Lyude!" he wheezed, having obviously run from somewhere, "You must see this!"

"What is it?" Lyude asked, ignoring Arietta's startled look and standing up.

"It's the Ocean, sir. It's receding!"

"Are you sure it isn't just low-tide?" Lyude demanded. The soldier shook his head.

"No, my lord, low-tide isn't until the middle of the day."

Lyude looked at the group and there was a unanimous nod. They all ran from the mansion, all the way to the shoreline. Sure enough, the water was already extremely far away, and getting farther. Soon, it was barely a pin-line on the horizon.

"That's not good…" Kalas muttered. Arietta murmured her agreement. That was when Arietta noticed it. There were very slight tremors going though the ground. Her eyes widened as they got stronger.

"Oh no…"

"Hey, what's that?" Gibari asked as he noticed them as well. The tremors suddenly shot up to the top of the Richter scale and the ground itself lurched upwards, sending everyone sprawling to the ground.

"What the-?" Kalas exclaimed.

"What's happening?" Xelha yelled over the roar of the rushing air and moving earth.

"Hang on!" Lyude yelled to everyone. The upward motion slowed dramatically, making Arietta think of the sudden-drop rides at the amusement park as she got the feeling of weightlessness before being forced against the ground again as the motion stopped entirely. Arietta stood up shakily before anyone else did.

"What just happened?" Savyna asked as Arietta helped her up.

"Well, judging by the sudden upheaval, I'd say that the Islands were in the Sky again," Arietta said sarcastically.

"The question is: why?" Gibari asked as he got to his feet.

"_The Ocean shall vanish once again, the Land shall take flight, and so, too, shall its inhabitants…_" Lyude recited. Arietta blinked and her eyes darted back and forth as things started to make sense.

'_Wait, the people had Wings of Heart when the Ocean was gone, and they lost them once the Land and Ocean were rejoined, which means that if the Land and Ocean are apart again, that means-_'

"-that people will get their Wings back again!" she finished out loud. Kalas looked at her like she was crazy.

"What are you talking about, Arietta?" he asked finally. Arietta looked him in the eyes.

"Kalas, where's your Winglet?" she asked quickly. Kalas looked surprised at the sudden question.

"Back in Balancoire, why?"

"Go and get it."

"Why?"

"Because if what I'm thinking is right, you're gonna need it." Kalas looked at her questioningly but then sighed.

"You're the boss," he said, using the old phrase he used to use for when he gave in to one of her orders. The phrase brought back many memories, one of which Arietta wanted to stay buried forever.

"_Please, Rob, go to the dance? For me? Just in case I am able to go? I don't want to be there alone," Arietta pleaded with her boyfriend. At Robert's reluctant face, she felt tears prickling her eyes. He saw this, and sighed._

"_You're the boss, Ari," he said. She smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek, which he returned._

Arietta felt the emotional pain come rushing back full force and, despite all of her best efforts not to, she fell to her knees and began to cry.

"Arietta! What's wrong?" Xelha exclaimed, seeing her friend's tears.

"Tell the Great Mizuti what be troubling you," Mizuti offered.

"C'mon, kid, what's wrong?" Gibari asked. Arietta shook her head.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "it's nothing, I'll be fine." She knew it was a lie, but she didn't see the point in telling them what they couldn't do anything about. She took a deep, shuddering breath and stood up, wiping her tears away.

'_He'll get his… By the time I'm done with him, he'll think twice about BLINKING at me… Him and Melissa…_' Arietta raged silently.

"What do you think, Arietta?" Lyude's voice broke her out of her thoughts. She shook the rage-fueled thoughts out of her head and looked at the former Imperial.

"I'm sorry, what did you ask me about?" she asked apologetically.

"I said, what do you think about discussing this with the other leaders? They'll want to know what was happening as well," he replied, waving off the apology. That was when Kalas came back. He looked at Arietta, and his look of annoyance at having to walk back and forth turned into one of concern. He glanced at Xelha, who mouthed the word 'later' to him and he nodded.

"I think it's a good idea, and it's logical. I mean, they helped us last time, it's only fair we try to explain what's happening now," Arietta agreed, he voice still slightly shaky from crying.

"So what are we waiting for? We should head to Anuenue and talk to Queen Corellia," Gibari said. Savyna, Xelha, Lyude, and Mizuti all nodded, but Kalas looked a little lost. He opened his mouth to say something, but he was beaten to it.

"I'll explain on the way there," Xelha and Arietta said at the same time. They looked at each other and started laughing. Soon, it was decided that Xelha would go and get the White Dragon so that they could go to Anuenue. Within the half hour, the seven of them were on the Dragon's back as the gigantic airborne reptile soared through the sky to the Rainbow Nation.

"So, Arietta, what was wrong back there? You looked like you were bawling or something," Kalas asked, unknowingly bringing up bad memories for his former Guardian Spirit. Said Guardian took a deep breath as the pain returned.

"You remember, back in Nekton, when you asked me if I was looking for something with I came here?" she asked him.

"Yeah, why?" he replied, not seeing what that had to do with anything.

"Well, I went back, and I met Robert. I liked him, he liked me. We started going out. Well, last week, there was a school dance. I had to cancel our date at the last minute because I had to babysit that evening. He came to me two days ago and told me that he had to break up with me because he was kissed by another girl and wanted to go out with her." Here, Arietta wrapped her arms around her middle and fought back tears. "H-he cheated on me for her, and she was one of my f-friends!" Unable to hold them back any more, her tears fell silently down her face.

"That's horrible!" Gibari said. If Arietta had been paying attention, she would have jumped.

"How could someone do something like that?" Lyude asked quietly.

"You be alright, Ari?" Mizuti asked. Arietta tried to pull herself together, wiping the tears off her face and taking a deep breath.

"I'll try," she said. There was an uncomfortable silence, and Anuenue wasn't in sight, so Arietta decided that it was time to jump to the same page as everyone else.

"So, what happened while I was gone?" she asked, her voice still a bit shaky.

"Ah, not much, kid. Just a few little things here and here," Gibari answered.

"Uh huh," Arietta said disbelievingly.

"Lyude be the new Emperor!" Mizuti chirped happily. Arietta looked at said Imperial, who gave a weak grin and nodded.

"Wait, last I heard, you didn't think you were good enough to lead Alfard! What changed your mind?" Arietta exclaimed.

"Well, I had thought about what Kalas had said to me, and I realized that he was right. I did have what it takes to lead a nation," Lyude replied.

"And Savyna's the best cook in Anuenue!" Xelha added. To Arietta's immense surprise, the usually stoic huntress blushed slightly. Arietta grinned.

"Alright, so we have Alfard and Anuenue," Arietta ticked them off on her fingers, "what about the other nations? I didn't see Duke Calbren anywhere in Mira."

"No… you wouldn't have…" Xelha said softly. "He… passed on… about a year ago, just after you left… They don't know how, or why, but the nation was in chaos until Melodia took over as Duchess…"

"Oh…" She was about to ask about Sadal Suud, or maybe Duhr, when all of a sudden, the White Dragon growled warningly. That was then a flash of dark magic narrowly missed Gibari's head.

"What the-?" He jumped up. The seven of them turned to see what had shot at him, and they all paled dramatically. Ahead of them, directly between the Dragon and the Rainbow Nation, was a swarm of monsters, and they were approaching fast.

"Everyone get ready," Savyna ordered calmly. Everyone nodded and took out various weapons. Arietta started concentrating her magic, when Kalas spoke.

"Arietta, you stay behind us." Arietta started.

"What? Why?"

"Because we have experience fighting, and you don't," Savyna answered for him. Unable to deny that logic, Arietta reluctantly nodded and moved behind Kalas. Within seconds, the swarm of monsters was upon them, the shrieking masses attacking everywhere.

Amazingly, the Dragon flew relatively steadily, keeping her course for Anuenue. The monster swarm, made up of mostly Blood Wings and Devil Claws, were kept at bay by Kalas and the group, but, inevitably, some were missed. Arietta didn't notice the Blood Wing slip by until it had hit her in the back with a Sonic Screech. She turned around, but it was too late; the Blood Wing slammed into her again and knocked her off the White Dragon's back.

"AH!" she yelled when she realized that she was falling.

"ARIETTA!" Kalas yelled. Arietta panicked, and along with the tightness in her chest, there was also a strange warmth flowing from her heart to the rest of her body.

'_I don't want to die!_' she thought, panicked. '_I don't want to die, I don't wanna die, I DON'T WANNA DIE!_' The warmth from her heart suddenly exploded from her body and she realized with, quite literally, a jolt that she wasn't falling. In fact, she was actually going back upwards. Looking down, she saw nothing but clouds beneath her. Looking up, she saw the White Dragon, with Kalas leaning over looking frantic and amazed all at once. But it was when she looked to the sides that her breath caught in her throat as she figured out just WHY she wasn't falling any more.

She had Wings.

* * *

So, tell me what you think. And by the way, in either the last chapter or the chapter before it, I miscalculated some ages, so I think I'll go back and fix them. Arietta should be eighteen, and was about to turn fifteen when she bonded with Kalas, and Mizuti should be fifteen. Sorry if there was any confusion there. My mistakes. 

Well, review for me anyways?


	5. Faded Rainbows

God, I am SO sorry it took so long to get this chapter out! I had to get my new hard drive installed, and thenI couldn't find my passowrds and then my Word processor wasn't installed right and then I had to spend a couple days cleaning my room...

Put simply, my week's been kinda a mess so far.

But I'm back! So on with the story!

Dis: Okay, really, do you REALLY think I own this? If you do, then there's something dreadfully wrong.

* * *

'_I don't want to die!_' she thought, panicked. '_I don't want to die, I don't wanna die, I DON'T WANNA DIE!_' The warmth from her heart suddenly exploded from her body and she realized with, quite literally, a jolt that she wasn't falling. In fact, she was actually going back upwards. Looking down, she saw nothing but clouds beneath her. Looking up, she saw the White Dragon, with Kalas leaning over looking frantic and amazed all at once. But it was when she looked to the sides that her breath caught in her throat as she figured out just WHY she wasn't falling any more. 

She had Wings.

They weren't elaborate by any means, but she wasn't an elaborate person, either. There were two on each side, the top one being larger than the bottom one. The top ones had five spines each, the first almost three feet long to the bottom being six inches. They vaguely reminded her of bat wings, since they had a sort of membrane between each spine. (AN: for all of you pokemon fans, think Crobat) The bottom wings only had three spines, the longest being a foot and a half long. The spines were black, which faded to purple membrane. Arietta was sure that, had she been standing on something solid, the wings would have folded neatly straight down her back.

Beyond rational thought by now, she gave the wings one hard pump and found herself soaring upwards, towards the White Dragon. Next thing she knew, she was standing on the Dragon's back, once again behind Kalas. Everyone looked beat up, and the swarm of monsters showed no signs of letting up. That's when it happened.

Kalas had been drawn away from her, preoccupied with the first Devil Claws. He didn't see the second one behind him until it had hit him hard in the back. With a startled cry, he went down.

"Kalas!" Xelha yelled, unable to get to the blue-haired boy. Arietta watched in horror at the two Devil Claws loomed over her charge's prone form. She vaguely registered that they were Devil Claws as she gathered her magic.

"_I am the Water, hear my voice…_" she said in a monotone. Nobody paid her any mind.

"_Guardian Spell…_" Perhaps it was from long years of using a Sonic Rifle, but Lyude heard the chant.

"EVERYONE OUT OF THE WAY!" he bellowed. The other four, though startled, did so without question.

"_SACRED SPRING!_" Arietta released the spell. The torrent of water plowed into the Devil Claws with the force of a freight train, or whatever the equivalent in this world was. Not only did the magical tsunami sweep them away, it also took the rest of the monsters as well. Above the rushing water, she could hear a sizzling sound, like that of water being thrown onto hot metal. Within seconds, the monsters were gone. Or so she thought.

Arietta screamed, more in surprise than in pain, as her clothing burst into flames. Panicking, she frantically tried to get one of her spells, but her mind blanked out. She could feel the heat as her shirt and pants were being consumed by the fire.

"Aqua Burst!"

A rush of water, though not nearly as big as her own spell, drenched Arietta, putting the flames out. She fell to her knees, feeling the Dragon's rough scales on her flesh as well as the fresh burns from the flames. Her pants and shirt were little more than rags, though still covering what needed to be covered. Her shirt, which was formerly a pretty off-white V-neck with black flowers and three-quarter sleeves, was now riddled with scorch marks and holes, exposing her undergarments. Her jeans, which were worn-soft with flared bottoms, were, while not as bad as her shirt, scorched black in spots and ripped.

Xelha and Mizuti were going around with healing Magnus, doing what they could until they reached Anuenue. It was when they made their way to her that she really started to think about what had happened. She didn't say anything as the two magic-users tended her burns, but she had opened her mouth to say something a few minutes later and never got the chance.

"Look! We be close to Anuenue!" Mizuti exclaimed. Arietta still found it odd to hear her friend speak without the mask. Indeed, she found it odd to LOOK at her mask-less friend. Arietta looked in the direction that the girl-wizard was pointing in, expecting to see the familiar sight of the Rainbow Nation. She did indeed see Anuenue, but something was different.

The floating Island looked the same for the most part; it still had the two rainbows and the giant Celestial Tree and the waterfall of Opu Village and the green patch of Holoholo Jungle, but something was off. All of the bright colors of the festive nation were dull, like someone had drawn a sheer white veil over everything.

As the White Dragon got closer, Arietta could see more details of the nation. As they went over it, she could see that a good number of the trees in Holoholo Jungle were wilted, as if they didn't get enough sun and water. The Celestial Tree was devoid of leaves, as if they had been stripped off, and many of the branches were broken and hanging by twigs. In contrast, the water from the waterfall was falling at an alarming rate, nearly twice what it was the last time she had seen it. Opu itself was a ghost town.

"This… isn't right…" Xelha said as she looked over everything.

"Man, what happened here?" Gibari asked in surprise.

"What could have caused this awful disaster?" Lyude asked sadly.

"I dunno, but we're about to hit Komo Mai, so we can ask Queen Corellia what's going on," Kalas said. Savyna didn't say anything as she looked at the sad remains of a once beautiful nation.

The White Dragon landed in Anuenue Port without being told, having done so numerous times before. Everyone was about to climb down when Arietta remembered that she still had Wings of Heart.

"Ah… Um… Xelha?" she said getting her friend's attention, "How do I get rid of these?" She motioned to her back and her Wings rustled slightly. Xelha blinked, as if she hadn't noticed them. The Wings had folded straight down Arietta's back, so neatly that you couldn't tell that they were there unless you looked right at them.

"You just will them back into your heart, I guess. I've never really thought about it before," the Ice Queen said, gathering her composure quickly. Arietta nodded, somewhat confused, but concentrated on her Wings going back to where they came from. There was a flash of light, violet, unsurprisingly, and they vanished. She looked at the burned remains of her clothing.

"First, we need to get you some new clothes," Gibari said, as if reading the former Spirit's mind. There was a collective nod.

"You can't very well see Queen Corellia like that," Savyna said. "Come on, I know where you can get something decent." With that, Savyna walked into the unusually quiet city of Komo Mai.

As she followed the huntress, Arietta looked around and shuttered. Instead of the usual brightness and activity, the City of Flowers was almost dead silent. All of the doors that they passed were closed, and the windows were dark. Arietta was about to ask what had happened, but the reason made itself painfully clear.

Literally.

"Watch out!" Savyna shoved Arietta out of the way just as something went through the space she just was. Savyna was back on her feet in a second, with a green flash signifying her Wings of Heart appearing. Within seconds, the attacker, a Devil Claws, was lying dead in the road, having been hit with one Lady Death's Aqua Impulse Magnus.

Savyna put her Magnus away and looked at her peacock-like Wings.

"So I guess it's true, then," she said quietly, "we are getting our Wings of Heart back."

"Amazing…" Lyude murmured. Savyna let her Wings vanish and looked at the slightly stunned faces of her friends.

"Let's keep moving." Everyone nodded. They were able to make it to a clothing shop without any further incidents.

Thankfully, the shop was open, despite the fact that the windows were dark.

"O-oh, Savyna, thank the Whale it's you!" the shopkeeper said in obvious relief.

"What's going on here? What are all those monsters doing in the city?" Savyna asked.

"It's horrible! They've been attacking everyone, nobody's safe any more!" The shopkeeper paused to regain his wits and then continued, "They showed up about a week ago, when Her Majesty, the Queen, fell deathly ill. They started attacking the citizens, and haven't stopped!" He paused again and looked at the whole group. "But you and your companions can stop them, right?

"We'll do what we can. But right now, my companion needs new clothes," Savyna said, gesturing to Arietta. The shopkeeper nodded. Within minutes, Arietta had a new outfit.

She had kept her gray-and-pink sneakers, since they were still in good shape, as were her socks. Her new pants, well, capris, really, were skintight, and made of a stretchy material that she couldn't identify but was surprisingly easy to move in. They were light green with the pattern of a dark green vine with pink flowers winding up her left leg. Her new shirt was a solid pink tank-top put overtop of a white, off-the-shoulder shirt that was also skintight. Her hair was held back by a simple white hair tie on the back of her skull.

"Your other clothes are quite interesting, young lady," the shopkeeper said once she had her new outfit on. "I've never seen anything like them. What are they made of?"

"I think the pants are made of… cotton, and the shirt is… polyester, I think?" Arietta replied, thinking.

"Intriguing… May I keep these? I may be able to reproduce something similar to them…"

"Uh, hate to interrupt," Gibari cut in, "But we really need to get to the Palace."

"Yes, of course, sorry to have kept you waiting." The shopkeeped moved aside to let the fighters pass.

With that, the group went out into the silent streets of Komo Mai.

* * *

There, another chapter down. Things are going to really start moving soon, I think. This is the quickest-moving fic I've written! 

Well, review, please?


	6. Royal Pains

Sorry about the late update, I had more computer trouble. Viruses. I had to have my whole computer wiped, but I managed to save everything important, like fics and pics, so I won't have to start from scratch...

Dis: Alright, now really, I'm planning on holing myself up with the sequel come September. Would I really have to wait that long if I owned Baten Kaitos in the first place? No, I wouldn't.

* * *

With that, the group went out into the silent streets of Komo Mai.

It wasn't hard to find the way to the Palace. The group got attacked again, this time by two Blood Wings and another Devil Claws, on the way to the Palace, but Savyna, Lyude, and Gibari took them out quickly.

"That was nuts!" Gibari said once they were past the huge double doors and in the main hall.

"You're right," Kalas agreed. "Now, to find Corellia,"

"Excuse me," Xelha stopped a passing guard, "But is it possible to get an audience with the Queen? It's urgent."

"I'm sorry, but Her Highness, Queen Corellia, took ill and isn't accepting audiences with anyone," the guard responded, sounding apologetic.

"I formally request to speak with Corellia," Savyna said in a tone that left no room for argument. Arietta's ears perked at the lack of honorific.

"O-oh, Lady Savyna! I'll tell Her Majesty r-right away!" the guard stuttered. He ran to a room down one of the halls as if he couldn't get away fast enough. He was back two minutes later.

"Her Highness will see you. She expresses her regret that she couldn't be in the throne room."

"That's fine, we just need to see her." With that, Savyna started to walk down to where Arietta knew Corellia's bedroom was.

Even from outside the door, Arietta could tell that Corellia was sick. She could hear the Queen's violent coughing. Savyna knocked once on the door and went in before the weak 'come in' was finished.

Corellia's room looked the same as before, for the most part. There was a nurse by the foot of the bed, watching the group warily, and Corellia was propped up into a sitting position by numerous pillows. She looked very pale and wasn't in her usual dress and hair decorations. She was wearing a simple nightgown and her hair was down. Unbound, her black hair reached her mid-back, and Arietta could see that the colored braids that were formerly there were, in fact, part of her hair.

"Ah, Kalas, everyone," Corellia said softly. "I'm sorry that I'm not in the best condition right now…" She smiled at each person in turn, but stopped when she saw Arietta. "But I don't recognize you. I'm Corellia, Queen of Anuenue. I regret that you have to visit our nation at such a hard time."

"What do you mean-?" Kalas started, but Arietta cut him off.

"Kalas, chill out." Arietta looked at Corellia and bowed slightly. "We've met before, your Highness. I'm Arietta. I was Kalas's Guardian Spirit." Corellia looked surprised for a second, but smiled warmly nonetheless.

"Welcome back, then," she said. "Now, you said you ha-" she was cut off by a violent coughing fit. The nurse that was at the foot of the bed jumped up, a Healing Magnus already in her hand. Soon, the coughing fit passed with the help of the Magnus, and Corellia spoke again. "You said you had urgent news?"

"Yes, your Majesty," Xelha said. "We…" she trained off, not sure how to continue. Gibari picked up where Xelha left off.

"The number of monsters in each Nation has risen dramatically, your Highness. We think it's because of this new woman, calling herself Eris. Kalas," Gibari looked at the blue-haired youth, "you still got that letter?"

"Yeah, right here." Kalas fished the letter out of his stuff and handed it to Corellia.

"You're right, this is bad. Unfortunately, there's nothing I can do to help you at the moment." Corellia stopped talking again as a few more coughs forced their way from her body. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright, your Highness," Xelha reassured. "We had to warn you before things got out of hand." The words '_like last time_' lingered in the air unspoken, but everyone heard them just the same.

"I can give you rooms in the guest wing for the night before you head to the other nations," Corellia offered.

"That's very kind, your Majesty," Lyude said. He gave a small bow and left the room. Everyone else followed suit, with Arietta leaving last. She was surprised to hear Savyna's last words to Corellia, almost too soft to hear.

"You'd better get well again, Corellia, our nation needs you."

Arietta almost stopped dead, but kept walking when Savyna followed her.

Arietta recognized the room that they were given. It was the same one that they were given just before they bashed their way through Cor Hydrae. Thinking about that place still gave her the chills.

"So, Arietta, tell us about yourself," Gibari said, breaking through the former Guardian's thoughts.

"Yes, please tell us," Mizuti echoed. Arietta blinked. They wanted to know about her?

"Well, okay… I'm a senior in high school, I work part-time at a bookstore, I still live with my family… Really, there's not much to tell," Arietta said. She looked around the room and got a slight sense of deja-vu. Savyna was by the balcony, Gibari was standing by one bed, Kalas was sitting on another, Mizuti was _sitting? floating?_ in the air, Xelha was sitting at the small table, and Lyude was leaning against a corner. It was the same arrangement that they had taken just before storming Cor Hydrae Castle.

"Your family?" Lyude asked politely.

"Yeah, my mother, my father, my little brother… My pets…" Arietta shrugged. "Nothing special."

"You have a brother?" Kalas spoke up. She could see the muted pain in his eyes.

"He's three and a half years younger than I am, and a real pain in the ass. We're fighting most of the time, since we never really got along as children," Arietta clarified. There was an uncomfortable silence.

"Tell the Great Mizuti about your homeland. It be different?" That was the best change of subject Arietta had seen in a long time.

"A lot different. Nobody has Wings of Heart, and for as far back as history tells, we've always had the Ocean. We don't have a standardized language; every continent has at least two or three different ones, depending on where you go. Our cities are a lot bigger, and we've made buildings that are hundreds of feet high. We have different machines that take us where we want to go, and our air and water are getting polluted, but other than that, we're no so different than you." Arietta explained all she could think of.

"What about Magnus?" Lyude asked.

"Nope, we don't have those. Wish we did, though."

"Hey, it's getting late, we should get some sleep," Xelha cut in. There were various nods and murmurs of agreement. Once everyone was comfortable, the lights dimmed and went out, leaving Arietta to wonder how they did that until sleep claimed her.

The next morning, Arietta was shaken awake.

"Don't make me use a Magnus on you," Xelha threatened when Arietta rolled away from her.

"No, no cold water!" Arietta sat up quickly. "See, I'm up!"

"Good," Xelha beamed. Arietta sighed and got up. It didn't take her long before she was ready to go.

"So, where to next?" Gibari asked once everybody was assembled.

"What about Diadem?" Lyude suggested.

"Or Sadal Suud," Xelha said.

"Duhr," Arietta stated quietly. Everyone looked at her with interest.

"What did you say, Ari?" Kalas asked.

"I want to go to Duhr next. There may be a chance that the Great Kamroh may be able to help us, but probably not right away. We should go and tell them what's happening," Arietta explained. '_That, and I really want to go there and see things for myself instead of through your eyes,_' she added silently.

"It's logical," Savyna agreed. The others nodded and expressed their agreement. Mizuti was practically bouncing with joy.

"Now Arietta will get to see the Great Mizuti's homeland!" she exclaimed happily. Everyone laughed lightly as Arietta was dragged over to the White Dragon. Soon, the Dragon was flying through the Sky towards where the Taintclouds used to be.

As they flew, Arietta looked around in awe, having not gotten the chance the last time.

"It's so pretty…" she breathed, looking at the vast expanse of clouds. "It must be so awesome to see it at sunset…"

"Don't you have clouds where you're from, Arietta?" Lyude asked politely.

"Yeah, but not like this. The only time we get to see them from above is when we're traveling by plane…" There was an awkward silence.

"Uh… I may just be a little slow, but what's a plane?" Gibari asked, finally breaking the silence. Arietta opened her mouth, not sure how to respond.

"I guess… it's our equivalent to an airship, only it has to start from the ground instead of a port and none of it's alive," she replied after a few seconds. Everyone gave an uncertain nod and silence reigned again. It wasn't long before she saw it.

"Hey, look, it's that labyrinth place!" Arietta pointed towards the ground, which seemed impossibly far away. "We're just about there!" Mizuti shared the excitement, but for a slightly different reason. While Arietta was anticipating just being in Gemma, Mizuti was anticipating the tour she was going to give her friend.

Within minutes, they were on solid ground again, this time in the strange and colorful Gemma Village.

* * *

There you have it, the new chapter.


	7. Abstract Familiarity

Gotta hurry, shouldn't be on the computer this late, must update...

dis: i no own, got it?

* * *

Within minutes, they were on solid ground again, this time in the strange and colorful Gemma Village.

Arietta looked around in awe. It was almost exactly as she remembered it, but brighter. The rays from the sun were able to reach all of the brilliant colors of the village, making it seem even more bright and cheerful. As the group walked, they received various waves and greetings from the villagers, half of whom were wearing masks.

"Mizuti! You're back!" Everyone turned around as a person dressed in brown ran up. His face was somewhat pale, obviously a remnant from years of wearing a mask, and his eyes were, surprisingly, blue. Arietta recognized his voice, but it wasn't until Mizuti said his name that she remembered who he was.

"Hullo, Kee!" Mizuti exclaimed.

"You brought your friends back again, Mizuti!" Kee turned to everyone. Arietta shifted so that she was mostly behind Kalas, not used to actually being seen.

"Yes, the Great Mizuti also wants to introduce you to a new friend. Kee, this be Arietta. She be Kalas's Guardian Spirit, back to see us!" Kee's attention shifted to Arietta. She felt herself blush slightly as his eyes widened.

"You're the Brave Spirit? It's an honor to meet you!" Kee bowed, much to Arietta's surprise. Then he straightened and grabbed Mizuti's hand. "Come, you must see the Great Kamroh!"

"We be coming, Kee!" Mizuti laughed. Everyone smiled, even Savyna, and followed the over-enthusiastic pair of friends to where Kamroh was.

Kamroh was in the same place as Arietta remembered. He was in that big chair that made him look like he wasten times bigger than he really was.

"Ah, Kalas, everyone, I welcome you back to our village!" Kamroh greeted as everyone walked in. "I hope your stay is pleasant." Then he looked at Arietta. "I'm sorry, but I don't seem to remember your face. I am Kamroh, head of Gemma Village." He sounded slightly confused.

"That's alright." Arietta watched as he stopped moving, apparently having remembered her voice, but she continued anyway. "My name is Arietta, and I was a Guardian Spirit. The one that was bonded to Kalas, actually."

"Ah, I thought your energy felt familiar. Welcome back, then, Brave Spirit," Kamroh said warmly.

"While introductions are all well and good, we have something we came to tell you," Gibari said. "It's like this…"

---

"That IS bad news, I'm afraid." Kamroh came down from his odd throne. "The most I can do is offer you my services. Come to me for whatever you may need."

"Thank you, sir," Xelha said sincerely.

"I'm afraid we can't stay. We must get to the other nations and warn them as well," Lyude said.

"I can send a messenger to the other nations for you," Kamroh offered.

"That's very kind of you, thank you."

"It's no trouble."

Kalas turned to the group. "Should we head back to Mira, then?"

"Please, stay the night in our village. I'm sure Mizuti here wants to visit her family," Kamroh broke in.

"Let's stay, Kalas. One night shouldn't hurt," Xelha said to her boyfriend. Mizuti turned hopeful eyes at him. Arietta was amazed at the effectiveness of the expression. Within seconds, Kalas had agreed. Mizuti grabbed both Kee and Arietta and dragged them all the way through Gemma, with Kalas and the rest of the group following them.

"Mother! Father! I be home again!" Mizuti called out the second they were through the doorway.

"Mizuti, welcome home," Kay said warmly. "Ah, Kalas, everyone, welcome."

"It's very good to see you all again," Koh commented. "What brings you all back to Duhr?" Arietta stepped out from behind Kalas and Xelha. "Ah, and who might you be?"

"I'm Arietta, I used to be Kalas's Guardian Spirit," Arietta said, starting to get used to being known but not known.

"Oh. Is something wrong, then?" Kay asked.

"Other than the fact that the ocean's vanished again, the Islands are floating again and people are getting their Wings of the Heart back again? Not a thing."

"Mother, Father, they be able to spend the night with us?" Mizuti broke in.

"I think we need to hear the whole story here," Koh said.

---

"It was nice of them to let us stay with them," Xelha commented as everyone found where they were going to sleep. The seven of them were all in the same room, and there were only two beds and a chair, so there was some debate. In the end, Mizuti and Arietta were given the beds and Lyude took the chair, so Gibari, Kalas, Xelha, and Savyna made themselves comfortable on the floor with the help of a few Mattress Magnus.

"It be no problem, you all be the Great Mizuti's friends!" Mizuti reassured. Her parents had quickly agreed to let the group stay for the night, after hearing why they were there.

"So, Arietta, you got anything you're good at?" Gibari asked, changing the subject.

"Yes, please tell us," Lyude said.

"She was decent with those spells earlier," Savyna commented. Arietta blushed.

"I'm not good at anything, really. I can't really even control those spells," she replied.

"Are you kidding?" the outburst came from, surprisingly, Kalas. "You guys haven't heard her singing. She used to sing when she was bored, way back when she was still a Spirit." He smirked at her indignant face. "What, you didn't think I heard you?"

"Sing for us, Ari!" Xelha said.

"Yeah, kid, I wanna hear this, if this kid says you're good," Gibari said pointing his thumb at Kalas.

"Fine, fine," Arietta consented, still blushing.

"Sing us something from your homeland," Savyna requested. Surprised, Arietta agreed.

"Hm… Ah, I've got it!" Clearing her throat, Arietta hummed for a second to get her notes right and then began. "_It's okay to be angry and never let go, it only gets harder the more that you know. When you get lonely and no one's around, you know that I'll catch you when you're falling down. We came together but you left alone and I know how it feels to walk out on your own. Maybe some day I will see you again and you'll look me in my eyes and call me a friend…_"

There was dead silence for a second before the group started clapping quietly. Arietta blushed again, not used to being noticed when she sang. The clapping died down and there was silence again. Finally, someone spoke.

"I think we should get some sleep if we're going back to Mira tomorrow," Kalas said. Everyone murmured their agreement and settled into their chosen spots. Within minutes, everyone had drifted off to sleep.

---

The first thing that Arietta noticed when she woke up was that she had a headache rivaling the one that sent her to Kalas' world in the first place. Her entire body was sore as if she had exercised for too long, and it hurt to move.

The next thing was that it smelled different. It wasn't unpleasant, on the contrary, it was familiar and welcome. The faint scent of lilacs drifted to her nose instead of the spices that were in Mizuti's place.

The third thing she noticed was that the sounds were different While Gemma was usually an unusual little town, it got quiet at night and in the mornings. Right now she heard the familiar hum of a computer and the occasional car outside.

Basically, Arietta got the strangest feeling that she was in her room at home.

Opening her eyes, she inhaled sharply. Instead of the wooden walls of Mizuti's bedroom, she was looking at the purple walls of her own room. Sunlight was streaming through her east window, falling on her desk cluttered with all manner of things and on her lilac carpeting. Sitting up, she saw that she was in her own bed with the paper lantern hanging over her head.

"What the-?" she started.

'_Ugh… what hit me? Reblys?_' Gibari's voice floated through her mind. Arietta looked around quickly but didn't see the paddle-wielding fisherman anywhere.

'_Where am I?_' That was Xelha.

'_What happened?_' And Lyude.

'_Where we be?_' That was unmistakably Mizuti.

'_Nothing around here is familiar…_' Savyna's voice stated.

'_Arietta? Where are we?_' And there was Kalas. All six voices sounded echo-y and distant. Arietta looked around her room for the source of the voices of her friends, but all she saw were six little colored lights. One was deep blue, another was turquoise, then red, violet, yellow, and green.

She panicked for a split second before the answer hit her with the force of one of Gibari's Smash Tackles.

"You're all Spirits…" she whispered. "Hurry, all of you, bond with me!"

'_What? What are you talking about?_' Savyna asked just before the deep blue light rammed into her chest. For a second, she heard her heart pounding in her ears then it faded to normal.

'_There,_' Kalas's voice said, sounding clearer and closer than it had before. The red light followed, with the same result. Xelha sighed in relief. The turquoise light followed, this one being Gibari, and the violet light, Lyude. The yellow one jumped after happily, proving itself to be Mizuti and the green light, after some hesitation, hit her chest as well.

"Déjà-vu, eh, Kalas?" Arietta quipped once she caught her breath. She could feel the six distinct energies in the back of her mind. She could see the colored lights again, stronger than before, and all in different parts of her room.

'_Is this how you felt as my Guardian Spirit?_' Kalas asked as the blue light pulsed.

'_How odd…_' Xelha murmured, the red light circling her bookcase.

'_The Great Mizuti be a Spirit?_' Mizuti asked, amazed. The turquoise light was resting in Arietta's huge round chair, and in her mind's eye she could see Gibari reclining in it awkwardly. Lyude's light was hovering near her computer, and she could just picture his fascinated expression. Savyna was near her north window, and Arietta thought that she was looking out at the yard.

Arietta got up and crossed her room to her door. She opened it slightly and listened carefully for the breathing of her parents and sibling. Hearing nothing, she sighed in relief and went down the stairs. She almost fell halfway down when she felt a huge tug deep in her chest. She tensed until she realized that it was her new Guardians being pulled along with her. Satisfied that she knew what was happening for the moment, she kept going, intent on getting some food.

Walking into the kitchen, she felt an overwhelming surge of curiosity from all six of her friends. Kalas and Gibari were immediately in front of the microwave, Xelha was checking out the hot chocolate maker and the coffee maker, Mizuti was zooming around trying to see everything at once, and Lyude and Savyna were just looking around curiously.

Smirking slightly, she went to the fridge to look for something sticky-sweet from breakfast. She paused upon seeing the note on the door.

_Ari-_

_I just got called away on a business trip that's going to take the better part of two weeks. Your father decided that he was going to visit his brother on his way home, and that he wouldn't be back for a while, either. You grandmother called and said that she'll be bringing Zander home in a week. PLEASE try not to destroy the house until either your father or I get home, please?_

_Before I forget, there's fifty dollars in the jar, I need you to go shopping in a few days. Thanks. And no more TV dinners, they're not good for you._

_And remember, one friend at a time staying overnight is fine, but no parties, please?_

_I know you'll be responsible and remember to lock the doors at night. Your keys are where you left them. What did I tell you about that?_

_-Mom_

"Huh, that's cool," she commented as she put the note in her pocket.

'_What is?_' Kalas asked.

"House to myself for a week. Maybe I should call Andriana and ask if she wants to come over…"

'_Who's Andriana?_' Lyude asked, joining them at the table where Arietta was eating a leftover sticky bun.

"A very good friend of mine," she replied between bites. After she washed her hands, there was a long silence. Arietta sighed.

"I'm heading to the library. If any of you don't want to go… I guess that's too bad, since you'll get pulled along anyway. I'm going up to change and brush my hair," she said. With that, she walked upstairs.

* * *

btw, the song was _Empty Apartment_ by Yellowcard.


	8. They Say Home Is Where The Heart Is

Alrighty, back with chapter 8! Sorry it's such a short chapter, I'm trying.

Dis: come on, by this point, it's second nature to know that i don't own anything

* * *

"I'm heading to the library. If any of you don't want to go…" she paused, then shrugged, "I guess that's too bad, since you'll get pulled along anyway. I'm going up to change and brush my hair," she said. With that, she walked upstairs. She could feel the tug of the spirits being pulled behind her. She felt her hair and winced. It was in desperate need of a good brushing.

Once she reached her room, she fished around under her bed a bit, looking for her brush. With a soft "Aha, found you", she sat up and began yanking it through her rat's-nest hair. Still trying to pull it through all the knots and snarls, she walked to her closet and looked through the clothes.

'_Hey, kid, doesn't that hurt?_' Gibari asked after a particularly hard pull of the brush. Arietta shook her head.

"Nah, not really." She looked at her shirts. Finally, she pulled out a fleece one with long sleeves. It was mainly white, with green snowflakes and blue flowers. Grinning, she pulled out a pair of plain jeans and her blue and white sneakers. With one last tug of the brush, she got the last knot out of her hair and deftly tied it back. She was about to change her clothes when she remembered something.

"Uh… Kalas, Gibari, Lyude? Think you guys can go outside my door for a minute or so? I kinda have to get changed…"

'_Of course,_' Lyude said, immediately going through the door.

'_Sure, kid,_' Gibari agreed, following the Imperial Spirit.

'_Alright,_' Kalas said, going through the door as well.

Quickly slipping out of the pink, white, and green, _how am I still wearing these, anyway?_ she pulled on the fresh shirt and pants.

'_What an adorable stuffed animal,_' Xelha said, hovering in front of Arietta's favorite teddy bear. '_What's its name?_'

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Arietta said, digging around under her bead for her shoes. "Alright, you guys can come back now," she called as she put them on. She watched the colored lights float through the door again and she grabbed her cell phone and her wallet. "Now, where are my keys…?" she asked, mainly to herself. "I know I left them here somewhere…"

'_You mean these?_' Mizuti asked, her yellow light circling a key ring that was more key chains than keys.

"Thank you, Mizuti, that's them." Arietta grabbed them and glanced out the window. Upon seeing the snow on the ground, she frowned, thinking. "Must have had an early snow, it's only October…" She took her coat off the back of her door and put it on. She looked at her Guardian Spirits. "Let's go."

Once she was out the door, she locked it and looked at the three cars in the driveway. There was a purple minivan, a red Jeep, and a silver PT Cruiser.

'_Uh, hey, Ari… What are those?_' Kalas asked.

"They're cars. It's the main way of transportation. And I gotta find the right key…" She looked though the different keys on her key ring. "Jeep… van… front door, back door… Andri's place… Eb's place… Aha, Cruiser!" Grinning, she got into her car and turned it on.

'_That's a strange noise, but it's not loud,_' Savyna commented as the engine stirred to life.

"It's just a quiet engine. But we heard all sorts of sounds like this back in Alfard, remember?" Arietta said. She noticed with some satisfaction that Lyude seemed to relax.

'_Oh, so that's why you weren't surprised by all the noise when we were there,_' Xelha said.

Arietta pulled out of the driveway carefully. Soon, she and her six Spirits were on their way to the library. She could hear their gasps of wonder as she passed all sorts of places. Glancing in the rearview mirror, she thought she actually saw the forms of her friends, but it faded back to the colored balls of light before she could get a good look.

As they approached the place of books, she could feel the growing excitement from Lyude. She grinned.

"Hey, who's closest to the seat next to me?" she asked, turning in to the parking lot.

'_I am, why?_' It was Kalas.

"Somewhere around there is a large bag with some books in it, think you can find it?"

'_Yeah, it's right here,_' Kalas circled the large tote bag. Arietta parked in an hour parking spot and turned the car off. She reached over and grabbed the bag before getting out of the car. The six former fighters followed her.

The second she was in the building, she felt bursts of curiosity and amazement.

"Hey, Ari, back for more?" the librarian on duty asked.

"Of course, Joan. You know how I am."

"I know, though it amazed me how much you wanted to know about alternate dimensions. Fascination, perhaps?"

"Just curiosity. Anyways, today I just want some good reading material, I ran out at home about a week ago."

"Ah, well, you know where they are."

"Yep." Turning around, she could see the six lights zipping around the library, almost straining the distance limits of the bonds. Sighing, she headed to the fantasy section.

She was on the floor looking for her favorite author on the bottom shelf when something caught her eye. What looked like a large card was stuck between two books from the same author, some MAG. Working the card out, she gasped, not noticing the second card fluttering to the ground. Her mind screamed 'not possible' at her.

'_Hey, what'cha got there, kid?_' Gibari asked from behind her. Wordlessly, she turned the large card around to show him.

The picture was of a choker on a red background. The ribbon was a fiery red-orange, and there were stringss ofyellow beads draping from it every inch or so, with small strands dangling from wherever the drapes connected with the ribbon. The name at the top was written in the same fiery orange.

_Sunspot Choker_

The rest of the card looked just like any other Magnus. Her breath caught in her throat.

'_Look, there be another one on the floor,_' Mizuti said. Arietta jumped, not having noticed her strange young friend there. She picked up the second Magnus and her eyes went even wider.

"Gibari, Mizuti, one of you go get the others. Now," she said, still staring at the card. A few seconds later, the six were arranged in a semi-circle around the still-shocked young woman.

'_Hey, that looks kind of like my anklets,_' Xelha commented.

'_What's the other one, then?_' Kalas asked. Arietta put the second Magnus on the floor between them all, face-up. The tension flowing through the bonds instantly spiked.

It was Hellfire.

* * *

Well, everyone else gets equip Magnus... 


	9. Everyone's Heart Doesn't Beat the Same

Hey, I'm back.

Dis: i don't own, i'm waiting for the next game.

* * *

It was Hellfire.

The group stared at the card for a few seconds, each and every one of them radiating a feeling of shock and disbelief. Arietta was about to say something when an inhuman shriek sounded from outside. Arietta jumped; she could identify that sound in her sleep.

"What is that?" Joan cried from behind the counter, staring outside in horror. Arietta followed her tail of sight, knowing that the others were as well, and gasped.

Outside, people were running. And they were screaming. But that wasn't what made Arietta so tense.

There was a Diabolos.

Arietta looked from the Cor Hydrae monster to the Magnus in her hand and back again, making a split-second decision.

"Kalas," she said in a tone that left no room for argument, "tell me how to activate a Magnus."

'_Hold it out in front of you, feel for the spot where its energy is tied together, and release it,_' he instructed quickly. Arietta nodded, not really thinking by this point, and held the Sunspot Choker in front of her. Closing her eyes, she 'felt' around for the seam where its magics held it dormant and once she found it, she 'pulled' it apart. There was a flash of light that she could see even through her closed eyelids and she felt a slight weight settle on her throat. She felt hot energy race through her body as she ran outside.

"Hey," she yelled, getting the monster's attention, "Cor Hydrae reject!" The winged monster turned its one eye on her and raised its bladed staff. The warmth from her heart exploded outward as her Wings of the Heart took shape. Luckily, everyone had left the area, so nobody saw a teenaged girl with large wings.

"I am the fire, dispeller of-" Arietta stopped. She couldn't feel her magic building like normal. Startled, she just said the name of the spell. "Hellfire!"

Nothing happened. Her eyes went wide.

"The hell-?" she started, but was cut off by one of her Spirits.

'_Use the Magnus!_' Lyude yelled at her.

"Right, Magnus." Not bothering to close her eyes, she ripped at the 'seam' in the card. The Diabolos lifted its staff/axe. It froze mid-swing, about to take off her head but never getting the chance. "Have a little taste of my Hellfire!" Arietta smirked in satisfaction as she heard the shrieks and squeals from the monster as it was roasted. Soon it was nothing more than a scorch mark on the blacktop and a lump of molten metal. Arietta slumped to the ground in shock, feeling her Wings vanish. She'd actually killed a monster. A monster that existed against all laws of reality, but still a monster all the same.

"Child, what did you just do?"

Arietta jumped. Joan had come up behind her.

"What was that thing?" the old librarian asked. Arietta struggled between lies and truth for a second, then sighed, getting up from where she had fallen to her knees on the pavement.

"That was a Diabolos. It's a monster from a different dimension, and I have no clue how it got here. I swear we got rid of Maplercio!"

"Malpercio? Child, what are you talking about?" Joan asked.

"Never mind me, just forget what you saw."

"Forget that you just killed some sort of monster with a card and that you had wings? Not a chance." Joan's statement fell on deaf ears as Arietta started her car and was already pulling out of the parking lot. Her mind narrowed to one thought: find Andriana. Her best-friend-near-sister needed to hear about this.

Arietta made it to her friend's apartment in record time. Before she knew it, she was flipping through her keys to find the right one.

"Andriana Morgan Evans, your ass had better be here!" she called as she opened the door.

"And if I'm not?" came the reply from the bedroom.

"I'll Hellfire your ass, and you know I can." THAT brought Andriana running.

"What'd you set on fire this time!" she asked, looking around.

"Nothing. I really have to talk to you."

"About what? Here, sit down." The two sat on the couch.

"Remember I told you about what happened when I was in that coma last year? The one that they couldn't wake me up from?"

"Yeah…" Arietta could hear the doubt in her friend's voice.

"Oh come on, I swear it's true. I was a Guardian Spirit in a world where almost everyone had Wings of the Heart."

"Yeah, yeah."

"I went back."

"You did!" THAT got Andriana's attention.

"Yeah, a few days ago."

"That's not possible."

"Why not?"

"Because yesterday was Friday, and you and I had gym together and we both laughed at Hart because she couldn't do the rope-climb, remember?" Arietta's blood ran cold. She did remember that.

"I can prove I went back." She dug around in her pocket before bringing out her Hellfire Magnus. "See?"

"It's a card."

"It's a Magnus."

"It's still a card, that proves nothing."

'_I think perhaps you may have to show her your Wings of Heart before she believes you,_' Lyude said softly.

"I think you're right," Arietta muttered back. "Alright, Andri, solid proof that the place does exist."

Arietta was about to call on her Wings, but something stopped her. It sounded like someone was whispering something in her ear.

"You hear that?" Andriana asked. Arietta nodded and kept listening.

"_Nusg nisir eht erof ebni aga ecnosn giers oahc, enode gamad retfa tubk cabrehg nirb dna emohr ehd nes._"

A sudden wind whipped around the apartment, wrapping around the two girls. Arietta closed her eyes to shield them from flying dust particles. She felt the bottom of her stomach fall out as the couch vanished from under her. She heard Andriana scream before she blacked out.

* * *

Special mention to anyone who can translate the incantation!

R&R!


	10. Familiar Faces

I know it's not much, but I'm trying.

Dis: if i OWNED it, would i really be WRITING about it?

* * *

"_Nusg nisir eht erof ebni aga ecnosn giers oahc, enode gamad retfa tubk cabrehg nirb dna emohr ehd nes._"

A sudden wind whipped around the apartment, wrapping around the two girls. Arietta closed her eyes to shield them from flying dust particles. She felt the bottom of her stomach fall out as the couch vanished from under her. She heard Andriana scream before she blacked out.

The first thing Arietta thought when she came around was that blacking out really sucked. Sitting up, she tried to ignore the pounding in her head.

"Everyone alright?" she asked.

'_I'll live…_' Kalas said.

'_I'm fine,_' Gibari added.

'_I'll be alright,_' Xelha said.

'_Status normal,_' Savyna stated.

'_Great Mizuti be invincible!_' Mizuti reminded everyone.

'_I'll be fine,_' Lyude said.

"Well, I know you're all fine, if you weren't, I'd probably be dead," Arietta retorted, quoting something Kalas once said.

"What the hell happened?" Andriana asked, looking around. "Where are we?" Arietta looked around as well. They were near the entrance to a town. Everything looked like it came from a child's picture book, even the residents. Arietta sighed, and she felt the recognition from the bonds.

"Reverence," she said, "we're in Reverence."

'_That means Balancoire isn't far at all!_' Kalas said. Arietta nodded.

"Yeah, maybe Melodia could help…" She took Andriana's hand. "Come on, we have to get to the next town."

Arietta led an awestruck Andriana through the Picturebook Village. They were only stopped once, by that strange villager who used to claim that Malpercio was coming. This time was almost the same, except he was yelling about Chaos taking over in Destruction's stead.

"That…thing…was really weird…" Andriana said as they approached Balancoire.

"He was like that last time, too," Arietta said, though inside she was nervous. He was right before about Malpercio…

Nothing more was said until they were standing outside the Calbren Mansion.

"Excuse me," Arietta addressed one of the guards outside, "is it possible for us to see the Duchess at all? It's very important."

"Her Grace, Duchess Melodia, is not receiving any audiences at this time," the guard replied formally. "We are under strict orders not to allow anyone in."

"Please, it's important!" Andriana said, surprising Arietta and the Spirits with her boldness.

"The Duchess isn't seeing anyone!" the guard said forcefully. Andriana opened her mouth to say something else, but Arietta nudged her and shook her head. The two turned and went back into the city.

"Why'd you stop me?" Andriana asked.

"Because I know another way into the mansion," Arietta said. She jerked her thumb over to the waterway. "Follow me."

The two jumped into the water, and Arietta led the way into the basement of the mansion.

They emerged in the mansion's museum. Thankfully, there was nobody there, so they were able to sneak in. After checking to make sure the entry hall was empty, the girls raced up the stairs into what could have been called a throne room.

"Where is she?" Arietta asked herself, looking around the empty room.

'_Perhaps she's in her bedroom?_' Xelha suggested. Andriana's eyes went wide.

"I'm hearing voices!" she yelled.

"No, you're not," Arietta hissed, slapping her hand over her friend's mouth. "That was just Xelha, and she's right, Melodia's probably in her room." Andriana nodded and Arietta let her go.

They made it to the other side of the mansion, having had to 'duck and cover' twice to keep from being seen by maids. Eventually they came to Melodia's bedroom door.

"Come in," came the familiar voice after they knocked. They opened the door to find the pale girl sitting in a chair reading a book. Arietta blinked briefly at the teal hair on the once albino-colored girl, but recovered quickly. Andriana just stood there, having become numb to any more surprises. Arietta smirked when she realized that Melodia didn't know who was there.

"Hey, Melodia," she said, smirking even more when the Duchess' head jerked up at the familiar voice. Arietta spread her arms slightly in a 'ta da' gesture. "I'm back." Melodia dropped her book and stood up.

"Who are you! I know your voice!" she demanded. Arietta stood there with an expression on her face that just screamed 'Kalas', something she picked up from being bonded to him for two years. Realization struck the young Duchess with an almost-audible click. "Arietta? Is that you?"

"Hey, Melodia, nice hair, though it looked better white, I have to say."

"What are you doing here? Where's Kalas?"

"Well, it's like this…"

---

"…and Andriana got dragged back with me. I don't know why I'm still bonded to everyone; they should have gone back to their bodies when we landed," Arietta finished, with more than a little help from her Spirits in the retelling. Melodia perked up.

"You just reminded me, I found this a couple of days ago," she said, rummaging around in a drawer. She came back and handed Arietta a Magnus. "I saw this on my bed, and it reminded me of the spells you used through Kalas, so I decided to keep it in case you ever came back."

The former Spirit looked at the Magnus, and she could feel the surprise from the bonds as well as from herself. Lingering Time.

"Hey, that's one of those card things!" Andriana exclaimed. Melodia looked stunned for a moment, and then laughed.

"Well, since it's getting so late, you should stay the night, and set out tomorrow morning for Wazn. Perhaps the witches there will know how to help you. Pity I can't see where everyone is…" she said.

"I'm sorry… With any luck we can have this all straightened out soon. Thanks for letting us stay tonight."

"Any time, Arietta, any time. I'll have a servant show you to a room."

---

The next day, Arietta, Andriana, and the six Spirits were on their way to Wazn, courtesy of Melodia. As soon as the sapphire-colored airship hit port, they were out and staring around Cursa in wonder. They would have kept staring if Xelha hadn't spoken up.

'_Come on, we have to get to the palace._' Andriana jumped, but they both nodded. They started off towards the Ice Palace, completely ignoring the stares of the citizens in favor of looking around at the buildings in awe. By some miracle, they made it all the way to the palace. Nobody tried to stop them as they made their way up three flights of stairs into the throne room.

In the room were four women. One was sitting on the throne, and the other three were kneeling in front of her. Andriana, understandably, didn't know who they were, but Arietta would know them in her sleep. Barnette, Kodelle, Glamyss, and Catranne.

* * *

Alright, I think I have a few special mentions going out to... -checks review list- **agent-hyatt** and **Rebbe**. Really, people, I need more reviewers, that's two out of three. 

That's all till next time, and trust me, I'm really trying to keep this moving!


	11. The Bells of Fate are Tolling

I tried to make this one longer and less rushed than the last one, butI think it's still a bit too fast at the end.

Dis: (enter standard disclaimer here)

* * *

Nobody tried to stop them as they made their way up three flights of stairs into the throne room.

In the room were four women. One was sitting on the throne, and the other three were kneeling in front of her. Andriana, understandably, didn't know who they were, but Arietta would know them in her sleep. Barnette, Kodelle, Glamyss, and Catranne.

"Who are you? Why have you come here?" Barnette demanded. The three witches turned around and faced the two teens.

"My name is Arietta, and this is Andriana. We were told that you may be able to help me," Arietta said, silently laughing at the recognition spreading over their faces. Kalas and Gibari sighed at the same time.

"Arietta? As in the Guardian Spirit that our Queen bonded with?" Barnette asked.

"That's me. And that's also the reason we need help."

"'We'?"

"Yeah, somehow… Everyone got turned into Spirits when I was thrown back into my world, and they came with me, and we can't figure out why they're still Spirits."

The four Wazn natives looked stunned for a second. Andriana nudged her best friend.

"I think you should start from the beginning." Arietta nodded and began to explain.

---

"And that's basically what happened," Arietta finished. There was dead silence for a minute before someone spoke up.

"I'm not sure how to help you," Barnette finally said.

'_You mean we came all the way from Mira for nothing!_' Kalas exclaimed. Andriana jumped.

'_Hush, Kalas,_' Xelha admonished.

'_Calm down, kid, it's not the end of the world,_' Gibari reasoned.

'_Uh, guys? The name 'Eris' ringing any bells? Hello?_' Kalas replied hotly.

"Will you three PLEASE stop arguing?" Arietta finally cut in, startling the others in the room. She sighed at the instant silence. "Thank you. Now, Kalas, stop being gloom and doom, Gibari's right, it's NOT the end of the world, yet." She glared at the dark blue light. An image of Kalas superimposed over the light and glared back.

"Unfortunately, that day may come sooner than expected…" Barnette said gravely.

"What do you mean?" Andriana asked, adapting to this world quicker than Arietta expected. Kodelle held out a sheet of parchment. Heart sinking into her stomach, Arietta took it and read it out loud.

"_The storm has passed, the rainbows come, and after rainbow, sun. Then thunder roll and lightning flash and Chaos then is done. Golden shine then Rainbow fair, next to go is the Frontier._"

"Frontier? Which island is that?" Andriana asked. A feeling of sick fear settled in Arietta's chest.

"Alfard, then Anuenue, next is Sadal Suud…" she whispered. "We have to get there as soon as possible to warn Rodolfo."

"We will give you what aid we can," Barnette said. Arietta nodded and dragged Andriana out the door.

They had just reached the main staircase when Arietta heard Catranne's unmistakable footsteps. (AN: I swear, she's a duck!)

"Hey! Wait up!" Arietta and Andriana stopped. Catranne came up to them and held out a pair of Magnus. "I found these a little while ago, maybe you can use them." Arietta took the Magnus with a word of thanks, and Catranne went back to the others. Soon, the two friends were back in the brilliant sapphire airship bound toward Sadal Suud.

"So, what were those cards that the chicken-girl gave you?" Andriana asked. Arietta felt a flare of indignation from Xelha. Arietta looked in the direction of the pulsing red light.

"Oh, Xelha, chill out, it's not like I didn't think the same thing when I first saw Catranne," she said.

'_It's true, she did,_' Kalas added. For a split second, she saw Gibari's image superimposed over his teal light, a grin on his face. Arietta caught the contagious grin and looked at the Magnus. When she did, she felt her heart jump. Shining Seraph and Demons of Darkness. She opened her mouth to say something when the airship gave a lurch, sending the two girls sprawling to the ground.

"Are we in port already?" Andriana asked.

"No, it takes longer than that to get from Wazn to Sadal Suud. Something's up." Arietta heard a loud and very familiar screech from outside. "Oh no… not another one…" Quickly, before Andriana could follow, Arietta pulled out her Wings and left the ship.

Since it didn't have a main deck, she was transported into thin air by the teleporter thing. Though she would never admit it, her heart skipped a beat when she fell a few feet through the air. Pulling out her Hellfire and Demons of Darkness, she regained her bearings and flew over to the other side of the ship. What she saw made her stop dead. She was expecting one or two Diablos. She got a whole flock of them.

"Uh, guys? Anyone got a REALLY strong fire move? Please?" she whimpered. "Or dark or time? These just can't cut it."

'_Is it possible?_'Lyude asked, but Kalas was already pushing energy through the bond. Arietta accepted the energy gratefully, letting it shape itself into the attack Kalas was giving her. It shocked her when there was a flash of blue light and her right Wing turned into his.

'_Less gawking, more fighting!_' he reminded her. She nodded and brought out the borrowed energy.

"Here goes… Sword Style: Chaotic Illusion!" She swung her arm around, copying the way Kalas would use his swords for the finisher. Half the Diablos squealed in pain and fell to their doom. The other half, however, just got pissed. "Any one else wanna take a shot?" she asked. A surge of magic from Xelha answered her question, along with a flash of pink as the Ice Queen's Wings replaced the mismatched pair on her back.

The Diablos advanced on her as she let Xelha's magic take form. "Magic: Bells of Fate!" The tolls of the bells wiped out all but one of the Diablos. The last monster looked smug, if that's at all possible, and kept advancing. Now Arietta was getting pissed that it was taking so long. She took out her own Magnus and 'pulled' the magic seam apart. "Lingering Time! Die already, dammit!" the monster shrieked in pain and plummeted to its death.

Xelha's magic left her system as she was pulled back inside the ship. The iridescent pink Wings faded back to the membranous black and violet.

"What did you do? The lights were going haywire! There was screaming from outside! I thought you were dead!" Andriana exclaimed. Arietta plopped down on a cushioned seat and pulled her Wings back in.

"I didn't see YOU shooting off any time attacks at the Cor Hydrae monsters!" Arietta retorted. There was silence for a few seconds.

"Just… Don't scare me like that?"

"Fine. When we get to Sadal Suud, remind me to get you some Magnus."

"Deal."

"_We are now approaching the Pherkad Port in Sadal Suud. Please be ready to disembark soon,_" the captain's voice came over the loudspeaker.

* * *

There. Review, please? I need reviewers! 


	12. Puppet and Puppeteers

I was playing through the game again, andI made the most interesting discovery. Forgive me for not knowing this sooner, but the Spirit can talk through the Bonded. It's wicked. Kalas yelled at me for it, it was great,I was all like "...wait, I can DO THAT?"

Dis: standard issue disclaimer, nothing owned, nothing gained.

* * *

"Fine. When we get to Sadal Suud, remind me to get you some Magnus."

"Deal."

"_We are now approaching the Pherkad Port in Sadal Suud. Please be ready to disembark soon,_" the captain's voice came over the loudspeaker.

Within minutes of the announcement, they felt the ship stop completely. The friends took that as a sign to leave, and in the blink of an eye, they were standing out on the gray cobblestone streets of Pherkad.

"Wow, it looks… normal," Arietta commented. "I guess we got here in time."

"Hey, cool, this place looks awesome! Oh my god, is that a cloud? Check out the carvings on the street!" Andriana was suddenly bursting with energy, zipping around trying to see everything. Arietta caught her arm as she went by for a fourth time, and dragged her into the Magnus shop.

"Welcome, dears. How may I help you?" the shopkeeper asked. Arietta opened her mouth to say something, but never got the chance.

"Yeah, we'd like to know if there's any way to get a Magnus deck for my friend. We're pretty low on gold, since we've been traveling, but we've been running into trouble, so we really need the Magnus."

The voice was hers, she could hear it in her ears as her own, and she felt her mouth forming the words, but she wasn't in control. She felt Kalas's presence leave her being _when had it entered?_ and her voice was suddenly her own again.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Here, I'll set up a tab for you, and once you get some gold you can pay me back. How does that sound?" the shopkeeper suggested. Arietta nodded, making sure to keep her mouth shut. Ten minutes later, or so it felt, the two girls were walking back out of the Magnus shop.

"How about we head to Cebalrai? We'll have to pass by there to get to the ruins in Moonguile, anyways," Arietta suggested as they walked.

'_Moonglade,_' Xelha corrected absently.

"Moonguile's cooler," Arietta replied.

'_That's actually a good idea, and we can talk to the doc while we're there and see what he knows,_' Kalas put in.

"'The doc'?" Andriana asked.

"Larikush," Arietta replied as they left the city.

"So… How do these things work?" Andriana asked as the two made their way through Nunki Valley. She shuffled through her new deck and picked a random Magnus.

"Hey, that's not a bad Magnus," Arietta commented, looking at the Cetaka's Sword.

"You didn't answer my question."

"Alright. Concentrate on the card. See how it's got that bubble-thing around it in your head?"

"Yeah…"

"See where the bubble thing has a seam?"

"Uh huh…"

"Pull the seam apart."

Andriana did as she was told, and soon she was holding a long, thin sword that had always reminded Arietta of a katana.

"Cool… How did we ever not have these things back home? These are awesome!" she enthused, experimentally swinging the sword as a rock.

'_Because most people back home are stupid and narrow-minded…_' Arietta thought, but stayed silent. '_There's a reason I never wanted to go back…_' She felt shock roll through four of the six bonds and rolled her eyes. She knew Kalas and Xelha weren't shocked, because she had told them both outright that she loved where she was more than where she came from.

"Okay… So how do I make it go back to being a card?" Andriana asked.

"Push the seam back together." She did and was holding a Magnus once again. By the time they had finished their mini lesson, they had reached the entrance to Cebalrai.

"Wow… this place is…" Andriana trailed off.

"Small? Quiet?" Arietta suggested.

"Different," Andriana said.

"Well, come on, Larikush lives this way." Arietta dragged her friend through the small farm village to where she knew the Imperial lived.

"Anyone here?" she called through the open door.

"In the back! Come in!" a male voice called. The two girls followed the voice. They found the doctor in the room where Arietta first remembered waking up after the Melodia-mind-wipe episode. Larikush was at the desk in a corner, writing something down in a book. He turned around after a minute or so.

"Hello there, how can I help you?" he asked pleasantly. Arietta gave a grin that was a hair away from being a full-blown smirk. His face would be priceless… Andriana recognized the look and took a step back.

"Hey, doc, long time no see," the former Spirit said casually.

"I'm afraid I don't remember who you are," the doctor replied. Arietta shifted her body just so, and fell into the pose Kalas always took when he was relaxed. The grin turned into a smirk when she saw faint recognition cross his face.

"We have a… common acquaintance. At least I think you know him; a bit taller than me, blue hair, one Wing… Went by 'Kalas'?" Arietta said, enjoying the head games more than she probably should have.

"Kalas? May I ask how you know him?"

"I was his Guardian Spirit."

There was dead silence in the room. The look on the poor Imperial's face could not have been better. He looked like he was torn between laughing and passing out in shock.

"Arietta?"

"Hey, Larikush, like I said, long time no see."

He ushered the girls inside and closed the door.

"How have you been, have you heard from Kalas, do you know how he's doing, I've heard strange rumors, what's going on?"

"Well," Arietta started, "it's kinda like this…"

---

"And that's basically it."

"It sounds like everything is getting exciting again."

Arietta 'felt' Lyude's presence hit her, and she lost control of her ability to speak again.

"I'd like to know if anything odd has been happening lately. Creatures acting up or anything suspicious?" he asked through her.

'_You're getting good at that…_' she thought at them. '_Took me forever to figure out how to talk through Kalas._'

Larikush looked thoughtful.

"Actually, it's been unusually quiet. Nobody's seen any monsters around at all for about a week now, which is extremely odd for this time of year. They're usually running rampant around the old ruins in Moonguile-"

'_Moonglade,_' Xelha corrected again.

'_Moonguile sounds cooler,_' Arietta insisted. Xelha gave a sigh.

"-but there haven't been any sightings at all."

"Is that bad?" Andriana asked.

"Could be… Maybe we should have a look?" Arietta suggested.

'_That's a good idea,_' Savyna said.

'_Yeah, maybe we can find clues as to what Eris has planned,_' Gibari added.

'_And we can check the Spring as well…_' Kalas said.

"That sounds like a good idea, maybe we can figure out what Eris is up to," Andriana unknowingly echoed.

"You three alright with that?" Arietta asked Lyude, Mizuti, and Xelha. Getting the affirmative, she declared, "Then it's decided. Let's head into Moonguile."

* * *

Come on, you all know Moonguile sounds cooler than Moonglade. Can't deny that. 


	13. Time's Half Gone, So Tarry Not

Welcome to chapter thirteen of Guardian Wings! -discretely hides four-leaf-clover charm-

Dis: no own, no sue

* * *

"You three alright with that?" Arietta asked Lyude, Mizuti, and Xelha. Getting the affirmative, she declared, "Then it's decided. Let's head into Moonguile."

"Oh, before you go…" Larikush went over to his desk and opened the drawer. He took out two Magnus and handed them to her. Looking at them, she grinned. Sacred Spring and Distorting Wind. "I found those a few days ago, and figured that if Kalas ever came back, I'd give them to him, so…"

'_Tell him thanks,_' Kalas said.

"He says thanks,"she relayed dutifully, "they'll be really helpful."

"Glad I can help. Come back any time if you need anything."

"Yep."

With that, the two girls started off for Moonguile. They didn't get ten feet into the forest before they were confronted by an Unuk and a pair of Shawras.

'_Oh geeze…_' Kalas complained, '_These things are weak…_'

'_May as well get this over with…_' Gibari sighed.

"Yep…" Arietta agreed. With a flash, her Wings appeared, and at her side, Andriana drew seven Magnus.

"Alright, what do I use first? Is there a specific order?" she asked her friend. Arietta glanced at the cards and blinked. A Saber, a Wave Paddle, two Brass Knuckles, a Ray of Truth, a Sacred Wine, and a Clock Shield.

"Well…" she began carefully, "how do you feel like fighting?"

"Swords. Those look cool." Arietta felt pride come from Kalas

"Alright. Saber, then Ray of Truth and that shield if you get attacked."

"Okay." Their timing couldn't have been better, because the Unuk attacked. Andriana summoned the Clock Shield like she'd been using Magnus all her life, and switched to the offensive before the Unuk knew what hit it. In a second, it was dead, and the Shawras picked that moment to double-team Arietta. She ducked, and pulled out Hellfire.

"Anyone up for barbeque Shawra?" she joked as the monsters were charred beyond recognition. Grinning, she put her Wings away and turned to her friend. "Ready to keep going?"

There was a pause, then- "I SO call the next one." Arietta grinned.

"Then let's go."

There weren't any more monster attacks for a while after that, something that had Arietta puzzled. Usually, the Shawras attacked anything that moved, including each other. Unfortunately, they didn't figure out why until it punched them in the gut.

"Oh, look, two little girls lost in the woods…" purred a soft female voice. The two girls spun around, each with a Magnus in their hands.

"Who's there?" Andriana called to the surrounding forest. There was a soft, husky laugh, and a figure emerged from the forest.

The figure was a woman, with long, silky black hair that flowed down her back. She had porcelain skin, and a perfect nose set between blood-red eyes and lips. Her navy and indigo dress hugged perfect curves, and she was barefoot. A pair of leathery, white bat wings were folded against her back to complete the picture.

"Who're you?" Arietta asked harshly, mimicking what Kalas had said before.

"_Beware, for when the white-winged darkness alights upon the land, the world shall fall to Chaos…_" she recited playfully, in her dark, seductive voice. With that, she vanished into thin air, leaving a pair of Devil Hands in her place. The monsters wasted no time in attacking the pair of girls.

"Ari! What do I use?" Andriana cried, ducking the swipes aimed to take her head off while desperately looking at the Magnus in her hand.

"What do you have?" Arietta called back, releasing a Shining Seraph.

"Solar Beam, Black Scepter, Cheese, Tempest Shield, Red Impulse, and two Brass Knuckles!"

"Solar Beam, Red Impulse, Brass Knuckles!"

"Thanks!"

While Andriana hacked at the monster, Arietta was trying to think of a way to take out her own.

"Well, any light spells?" she asked, dodging a darkness-based attack. Without a word, three different energies were pushed at her, and she picked a random one. Her Wings vanished in a flash of violet, and Lyude's Sonic Rifle appeared in her hands. Her eyes widened in shock before she smirked and let the finisher shape itself.

"Here goes nothing," she grinned. "Extreme attack: Finale!"

She jumped in the air and the energy-cannon formed around her as Lyude controlled her body to execute the attack. The Devil Hands screamed in pain before it became a pile of so much smoldering goo on the ground.

She watched as Andriana took out her own Devil Hands.

'_That kid's got some skill,_' Kalas commented.

"Her mother takes kendo, so Andri picked it up," Arietta replied.

"Ari…" Andriana called. She held up a folded piece of parchment.

"What's that?"

"I dunno, but it's got the words Guardian Spirit written on it, so I assume it's for you…"

Arietta groaned and heard echoes from her companions in her head.

"Lemme see…"

The parchment was milky white, with the two words written on it in sapphire ink. She opened it, dread growing in the pit of her stomach.

_Too bad, so sad, you've come too late, I took what this place had. Gold, and then Rainbows, then Forest and things, next I will take is the Land of Kings._

'_She's headed for Diadem,_' Xelha said, '_We need to hurry!_'

"Diadem?" Andriana asked, confused. "Isn't that the place with all the clouds?"

"Yeah, and we really gotta hurry if we're gonna head her off."

"Right."

The pair hurried back through the forest, completely bypassing Cebalrai in favor of zipping through Nunki Valley to Pherkad. Just like in Anuenue, the capital city was deserted and there were monsters everywhere. The Diadem Express Liner wasn't in port, but fortunately, Melodia's ship was there. After a hurried order to take off for Diadem, the two girls fell into their seats, exhausted.

"Was it like this last time with that what's-his-name?" Andriana asked, massaging her aching arms.

''_What's-his-name'?_' Lyude asked.

'_I think she means Malpercio,_' Xelha replied.

'_Yeah, it was pretty much like this,_' Kalas said to Andriana. She looked at Arietta.

"How did you survive all that?" she asked in awe. Arietta grinned.

"Because Kalas is stubborn as an ass, Xelha's got her Queenly privileges, Gibari's strong as a friggin ox, Lyude knows politics, Savyna's got her military stuff, and Mizuti's just… Mizuti," she said. She laughed out loud at the varying replies.

'_She's got ya pegged, kid,_' Gibari said to a fuming Kalas.

'_The Great Mizuti be called 'The Great Mizuti' and be invincible!_' Mizuti corrected.

'_Of course I know military, I was part of the Mad Wolf Unit,_' Savyna stated, a hint of laughter in her voice.

'_Hey! I only used my status that one time!_' Xelha said indignantly.

'_I'm an Ambassador, I must know politics,_' Lyude laughed.

Andriana grinned. "Hey, I heard more than just Xelha that time! Cool!" Her grin spread to Arietta.

"On to Diadem, then!"

* * *

Review, please?


	14. Just Around The River Bend

Wow, finally... the site wouldn't let me update, or else this would have been up three days ago...

Ah, before I forget, WARNING for this chapter. A bit later in the chapter, the discription gets a little graphic, but I did try to tone it down, so just so everyone knows, I did set a warning. Can't be too careful...

Dis: I only own the CHARACTERS Eris and her sister whose name you find out in this chapter. I do NOT own the actual goddesses, heaven forbid I try to.

* * *

"On to Diadem, then!" 

The ride to Diadem was shorter than the one to Sadal Suud, since the two were practically within seeing distance of one another. Andriana had dozed off, leaving Arietta and the Spirits to talk to each other.

'_So, I never really got the full story on what's happened to you guys since I left,_' she thought at them, not wanting to wake her best-friend-almost-sister.

'_Kalas and Xelha are-_' Gibari started, but Kalas cut him off.

'_Finish that sentence and you'll be wishing you never get your body back._' THAT got Arietta interested.

'_Kalas and Xelha are what?_' she asked, curiosity getting the better of her. The image of Kalas superimposed over the blue light and glared at the image of Gibari over the teal one. Gibari grinned good-naturedly.

'_Ah, come on, kid, it's not like nobody ever proposed to a woman before,_' he said, cleverly letting it slip as he defended his previous statement.

'_That's it!_' The Kalas-image tackled the Gibari-image and the two began a fistfight that was like watching a silent movie. The blows hit but there wasn't the sound of flesh hitting flesh. Arietta grinned at them before looking at a blushing Xelha-image. Even Savyna superimposed over her green light to give a rare smile. Lyude did the same over his violet light, giving a smile that would have most girls falling all over themselves to see.

'_Oh my GOD, Xelha, is that true?_' Arietta asked, jaw dropping. Xelha giggled and nodded, blushing harder. '_Oh my god, if you were solid I'd hug you and then smack Kalas for not telling me sooner! And you!_' she pointed at Kalas as he came back from his form of stress relief. '_Why didn't you tell me? I swear if you were solid I'd hit you for not telling me then hug you for finally getting the balls to ask! It's about damn time!_'

'_Well- I- uh-_' he stuttered, but was saved from answering when the loudspeaker came to life.

"_We are now approaching Diadem, Land of the Clouds. Please prepare to disembark in Sheliak._"

The sound of the pilot brought Andriana out of her doze.

"We there already?" she yawned, stretching out and listening to her joints popping back into place. Arietta nodded as her friends' images faded back to the colored balls of light. The ship lurched to a stop and the two stood up. Within seconds, the teleporter system had them out on the cobblestone street. The girls looked around at the castle town.

"Is it always this… gray?" Andriana asked, eyeing the faded colors of the flowers and buildings. Not a single home had lights on, and most of the street lights were out as well, despite it being nearly dark.

"No, it's usually so cheerful… Maybe something's-"

'_She beat us here,_' Kalas cut her off. Andriana looked around, trying to pinpoint the source of the voice in her head while Arietta glanced at the deep blue light.

"What?"

'_She was here before us, and by the looks of things, she has what she wanted._'

'_Uh, not to change the subject or anything, but we've got company,_' Gibari cut in. A loud growl brought the girls' attention to the trio of Stripers on the pier, cutting off the only way off the pier.

"Oh, I hate these things…" Arietta groaned. She called out her Wings of Heart and pulled out Lingering Time. Andriana drew a hand of Magnus and looked them over. "Any elements?" Arietta asked.

"Just a light blue paddle. I think it's a… Mayfly? The rest are shields."

"Damn. Lemme take care of these then. Any of you care to give me a chronos attack?" She directed her last question at the Spirits hovering behind her. A few different energies were pushed at her, and she picked one she didn't recognize. Her Wings vanished entirely and she started hovering about a foot and a half off the ground, telling her it was from Mizuti. She surrendered her body to the strange girl and let her shape the finisher.

"Arcanum: Heaven's Pillar!"

The attack destroyed two of the three Stripers, glancing off the third. It stumbled, not wasting any time in charging at Andriana. Arietta didn't regain her body fast enough to stop what happened next.

"AH! ARI!"

"ANDRI!"

Andriana plummeted through the air, heading straight toward the very distant ground. Arietta's heart fell through to her feet and then skipped a beat as a bright orange light flashed, and Andriana stopped falling. Her breath caught in her throat when she realized why.

Through they were transparent, they were clearly there. Andriana had Wings of Heart.

Arietta turned around and looked at the last Striper, deadly intent in her eyes.

"Kalas," she said, an eerie calm settling in her voice, "give me Dream Blade." Wordlessly, he obeyed, the attack rushing through the bond they shared and her right Wing changed to Kalas's Wing. She faced the last Striper, activating Lingering Time at the same time as Dream Blade. She let the two attacks flow together, melding them with the pain in her heart to create something new.

"Die," she said simply, releasing the attack. "Spirit Combination: Lingering Dream!"

The green vortex of Lingering Time surrounded the Striper, and then the swords of Dream Blade crashed through the dome, destroying it. With that, she calmly put away her Magnus and turned around, seeing Andriana behind her.

"What was THAT?" Andriana asked, eyes wide. Arietta shook her head to snap out of her death-mode and looked at the pile of Striper-remains.

"I…dunno, I kinda just mooshed two attacks together and got Lingering Dream. But enough about that," she said, motioning for her friend to turn around, "let's see those Wings."

Andriana's Wings looked like large butterfly wings. They were each about three feet wide and four feet tall. They were covered in vibrant colors, mainly blue, orange, and yellow and were transparent enough that Arietta could faintly see the shapes of the town behind them.

"Nice… Very nice…" she commented.

"So how do I put them away?" Andriana asked.

"Remember what it felt like when they appeared?" At Andriana's nod, she continued, "Good. Imagine them going back to wherever that feeling came from."

Within seconds, there was a brilliant orange flash and the Wings vanished. She willed her own away and turned to the faded town.

"This doesn't look good…" she said, glancing at everything.

'_We should visit King Ladekhan, make sure he's alright,_' Gibari suggested. Arietta nodded and started walking into the town. As they went, they took in the washed-out colors of Sheliak and the surrounding area. By the time they got to the castle, Arietta was dreading what she would find.

There were no guards at the entrance, which didn't really surprise Arietta. The King was loved by his people, and he knew that none of his people would try to hurt him. The two walked in and made it almost all the way to the throne room before they were stopped by a passing guard.

"If I may ask as to why you two young ladies are here?" he asked politely.

"I'm sorry, I just need to speak with His Majesty, and I wasn't sure if he was in audience or not so I was looking for someone who could tell me," Arietta said, improvising the slightest bit.

"Well…" the guard said, thinking a moment, "he doesn't have any visitors until tomorrow morning, so perhaps you may be able to see him now. Do you require a guide to the throne room?"

"No, thank you, I know where it is."

"Very well, then."

With that, the guard walked away. Andriana blinked a bit.

"Well, that was easy."

Arietta led the rest of the way to the throne room, and knocked on the giant doors. They opened silently and the two girls walked in.

"It's… empty…" Andriana said, looking around. Arietta nodded.

'_Try the Shrine of Winds?_' Lyude suggested.

"Shrine of… Winds?" Andriana repeated.

"Yah, remember I told you about the bird-thing with ribbons hanging from his boobs? That's where we fought it," Arietta replied, heading to where she knew the passage was. It was already open, which disturbed her.

'_That's not good…_' Gibari muttered.

'_We must hurry,_' Savyna said.

"Right," Arietta nodded. The two girls ran down the passageway, their footsteps echoing all around them. They rounded the last corner and stopped dead. The passage was blocked. They were about to turn around when Andriana spotted a note on the wall.

"Ari, there's another of those weirdo notes for you," she said, pointing.

_You think creatively, heading for the Wind Shrine, but I was a little better. You'll find me where the Fish of Thunder once wreaked havoc with the waters. He was a favorite until you killed him._

_I wish you the best of luck._

_You'll need it._

_- Di Eris_

The 'Di' was scratched out, but Arietta didn't notice. She was already racing through the tunnel with Andriana behind her before she even finished reading.

"Where to now?" Andriana asked, becoming out of breath.

"Lesser Celestial River, that's where we fought that Thunderfish."

"That's where Eris is?"

"I think so. Run now, Talk later."

The two didn't stop until they reached the Cloud Passage.

"We don't have time to fight Stripers and Koo-loo Birds." Arietta called out her Wings. They looked decidedly different. She still had two on each side, but they were larger, and more brightly colored. The purple was more vibrant, and the spines were spread further apart to catch the air better.

Andriana called out her eye-poppingly bright Wings. Arietta took off, flying as fast as her Wings could take her and Andriana followed. Under Gibari's directions, the girls flew directly to the falls on the Lesser Celestial River. Eris was already there waiting for them.

"Welcome. You're just in time," she said in her soft, dark voice. A small smile appeared on her blood-colored lips. Her red eyes looked at them from beneath dark lashes on her porcelain face.

"In time for what, Eris?" Arietta asked warily.

"Why, the execution of the king, of course." Eris rustled her white, membranous wings. "I must admit, I thought you would have learned my name by now, though. I am not my sister."

"Who are you, then?" Andriana demanded.

"Defeat me and I shall tell. You must rescue the king, as well."

"Andri, find the king. I'll deal with this bitch," Arietta said, taking out her six Magnus. She barely noticed that she lost track of her choker a long time ago, and didn't care.

"Right." Andriana took off, looking for King Ladekhan.

"Alright, you sorry excuse for an underling, who are you?" Arietta asked.

"Ah, ah, ah, little Guardian, answers don't come that easily. The truth must be earned," 'Eris' said. Arietta could feel four different energies pushed at her, and picked one she knew was strong and melded it with Hellfire. There was a flash of green, and Savyna's Wings blinked into existence.

"Spirit Combination: Deadly Hellfire!" she yelled, throwing the double fire attack at the pale woman.

The blue-hot flames rushed at 'Eris', and when they hit one could hear her dress going up in flames and the sizzling of burning flesh. The sheer smell was almost enough to make Arietta hurl, and as it was she felt nauseous. When the flames and smoke finally cleared, the sight almost made Arietta really puke.

The woman's skin was burned and melting. It was dripping off her body in large clumps of still-pristine flesh. Her beautiful black hair was burned and what was left was melted to her scalp. The white Wings on her back were charred and in tatters.

"_Beware,_" 'Eris' giggled, ruby mouth twisted and bubbling, "_for when the white-winged darkness alights upon the land, the world shall disappear without a sound, swallowed by a maelstrom of Chaos…_" She raised what was left of her arms to the heavens and let out a delighted laugh and began to sing. "_I'm dying… praying… bleeding… and screaming! Am I too lost to be saved? Am I too lost?_ _My God, my Tourniquet, return to me salvation! My God, my Tourniquet, return to me salvation!_"

Eris collapsed to the ground, ruined face turned to the sky, distorted mouth still smiling. She said four words before giving in to death.

"My name… is Discordia."

Her body disintegrated into dust, which blew away without a breeze, leaving behind a piece of parchment. Arietta stared at the spot a moment longer before running to a bush and getting sick. After a minute or so of dry-heaving, she stood up and picked up the parchment. She was about to open it when she heard her name.

"Ari!"

Turning, she saw Andriana flying towards her with another figure behind her. Arietta was too tired for surprise when she saw the King. His Wings were feathered in pale blue, and weren't elaborate by any means, but large and majestic.

"Hello, your Majesty," she said, opening the parchment carefully.

_So close, yet so far, little Spirit. Discordia, my beloved sister, was only the appetizer. Time is almost up, little Guardian, you had best hurry…_

_City of Gold, Garden of Rainbows, Rough Frontier, Land of Kings._

_Only one Illusion left to break…_

_-Eris_

The note was written in blood red.

* * *

...I'm almost done. Wow. Three or four more chapters to go, depending. 

Wow.

Well, review for me, please.


	15. Broken Illusions

Look, The next chapter!

Dis: i don't own, but i DO know the date of the next game's release. i don't own that either, i just know it.

_

* * *

_

_So close, yet so far, little Spirit. Discordia, my beloved sister, was only the appetizer. Time is almost up, little Guardian, you had best hurry…_

_City of Gold, Garden of Rainbows, Rough Frontier, Land of Kings._

_Only one Illusion left to break…_

_-Eris_

The note was written in blood red. Arietta watched as the note swam in her vision, exhaustion settling over her suddenly. She didn't notice herself wobbling until Andriana's hands steadied her.

"She's tired, I don't think she's used to that much power at once," Andriana explained to Ladekhan.

"We should get back to Sheliak, you can both take a well-deserved rest there. Please, allow me to accompany you," the king said.

'_Nashira's closer,_' Gibari said, praying to whoever was listening that Andriana would hear him. '_Arietta doesn't look like she could make it to Sheliak._'

Using some of the stubbornness she learned from Kalas, Arietta steadied herself.

"I could too make it to Sheliak, Gibari," she said. Surprise flashed across Ladekhan's face before he regained his composure. Realizing Gibari had touched Arietta's pride, Kalas kept going.

'_Prove it. Prove you can make it from here to Castle Elnath,_' he taunted. Andriana giggled and prodded more.

"Come on, Ari, Gibari's right, Nashira's closer…"

"I said I can make it to Sheliak, so we're going to Sheliak," Arietta said, opening her Wings. She and Andriana left the ground. Ladekhan figured out what was going on and took to the sky with the two girls.

After about ten minutes of flight, the three made it to Castle Elnath. Ladekhan wasted no time in having a servant lead the two girls to a room for them to rest. Arietta was asleep before she even knew she was on a bed.

---

When she woke up, it was bright and sunny. Blinking at the light, she sat up and looked around.

"Good morning, sleepy head."

Andriana flopped down onto the bed.

"Morning?" Arietta asked.

"Yep. After that monster of an attack you threw, you passed out as soon as you got here. You just barely made it back to the castle." Arietta gave an odd look before the previous day came rushing back to her. _NoteShrineflightRiverKingErisfireDiscordianoteredMiraErisErisERIS!_

"So, Ari, where do we go next?" Andriana asked. Arietta got up and thought back.

"Mira," she said, "it's the Borough of Illusion."

"Isn't that where Kalas is from?"

"Uh huh."

"And where Ner- Nut- Kon- that forest is?"

"Nekton, yeah."

There was a slight pause.

"Alright, then."

"We should head to see the King."

"Yeah."

The two headed out of the room, greeted politely by passing knights. They made it to the throne room quickly.

"Ah, ladies, there you are. I was just about to send someone to wake you," Ladekhan greeted them warmly. "I trust you know where you must go next?"

"Yeah, your Majesty, we have to head for Mira. Melodia lent us her ship, it's in the Sheliak port right now," Arietta said.

"Is there news of the other Nations?"

"Yes, sir," Andriana piped up, "But it's not good."

"That's what I feared. This whole situation feels like Malpercio all over again…" Ladekhan sighed.

"Your Majesty, with all due respect, we should be going. If we waste any more time, we may be too late to save Mira," Arietta said, she herself not entirely sure why she was being so hasty.

"You won't be going to Mira," Ladekhan said gravely. Both girls opened their mouths to ask why, but were stopped when the king held up a piece of parchment.

_You plan was admirable, little Guardian, to head me off at the pass. But order and planning are nothing to Chaos, and so I have broken the Illusion of Mira. My dear sister's death wasn't in vain. Time is running short, little Spirit, if you wish to save your beloved home and the Miran Duchess…_

_First was Gold, then Rainbow glitter, untouched Wilderness, then Kings and Clouds, last to vanish was Illusion._

_I'll be on my Golden Throne, little Spirit… The clock ticks…_

The note was written in blood-colored ink.

"King Ladekhan!"

One of the Royal Knights dashed into the room, looking winded and terrified.

"Your Highness, the scouts are reporting that Mira is gone! They say that the Nation vanished into thin air!"

"Wait, Mira's just…gone?" Andriana asked the knight. He nodded, eyes wide with fright.

"Your Majesty… This isn't going to turn into what happened last time… is it?" he asked.

"Not if we can help it!" Arietta said. She bowed to Ladekhan. "With all due respect, we have to leave."

"Yes, of course," the king replied. Arietta grabbed Andriana's hand and dragged her out of the room. They both ran to the port and yelled for the pilot to take them to Alfard.

The ship left the Sheliak port, and Arietta collapsed in one of the seats. She felt herself nod off, and before she knew it, she was sleeping. Andriana looked at her sleeping friend and sighed.

"You guys are working wonders for her, you know," she said to seemingly thin air.

'_What're you talking about?_' Gibari asked, breaking the silence that the Spirits fell into.

"She never told you?" Andriana asked.

'_Told us what?_' Kalas jumped in.

"When she woke up… the first time around, I mean… She told everyone who would listen about what happened to her. It was a fantastic story, but nobody believed her. Gabrielle did, I think, but she was always odd."

'_Gabrielle?_' Xelha asked.

"Her mother," Andriana said. "At first, the doctors and her family humored her, but when she wouldn't stop talking about people with wings and islands floating in the sky and evil gods being reborn, her father got fed up and put her into therapy. She stopped after a while, but she hasn't been the same. They didn't make her take any meds, but she just wasn't herself after that."

'_What about you?_' Savyna asked, '_Did you believe her?_'

"At first, no, and I still didn't even after she Hellfire'd my bedspread to kingdom come. But since I've been here with her, she's actually happy. I honestly thought the thing with Robert would help her, but…"

'_But he dumped her,_' Kalas said bluntly.

'_Kalas!_' Xelha exclaimed.

"No, he's right."

"_Now approaching Alfard Empire, please prepare to disembark. Repeat, now approaching Alfard, please prepare to disembark,_" crackled the loudspeaker. Arietta stirred at the sound.

"You let me fall asleep?" she asked indignantly.

"Yep!" Andriana beamed. There were various snickers and chuckles at that. There was silence for a few seconds after that.

"Well…" Arietta said, "this is it… Why does this feel like Malpercio all over again?"

'_Because, for all intents and purposes, it is,_' Lyude replied. I shuddered, and I could tell the six did as well.

"Well… On to Alfard. Today's the day Eris meets her match."

* * *

That's it, only three more chapters to go. The next one will be longer, I swear, becuase it has to cover how they get into the palace, the whole battle with Eris, and the aftermath. Next chapter's called Blind Trust, don't let me forget that. 


	16. Blind Trust

dis: i no own, THIS COVERS NEXT THREE CHAPTER'S DISCLAIMERS!

* * *

"Well… On to Alfard. Today's the day Eris meets her match."

Arietta and Andriana felt the jolt of the ship coming to a full stop in port. After a few seconds' hesitation, Arietta got off Melodia's ship, followed closely by her best friend.

The golden city of Mintaka was silent. Oh, there was still the sound of heavy machinery at work, but there weren't any citizens in sight. Arietta wasn't sure if she felt relieved or scared that there weren't any soldiers turned into monsters around. On one hand it meant that none of Lyude's soldiers were taken by evil, and on the other it made the city too quiet, and thus put them all on edge.

"…We should head straight for the palace. We don't want to run into anything nasty…" Arietta suggested, quickening her pace. Andriana nodded and followed.

They both jumped when a battle cry broke the silence, followed by the now-familiar screaming of Cor Hydrae monsters.

"CRAZY RABBIT!"

"WORG LASER!"

"…I don't suppose we could just walk AROUND whatever Ayme and Folon are bothering with and keep going?" Arietta asked rhetorically. Sighing, she took out her six attack Magnus and jogged around the corner to come face-to-face with a Diabolos.

"AH! Hellfire, dammit!"

The one-eyed monster screamed horribly as it slowly burned to death. She threw Lingering Time and Demons of Darkness into the large crowd of monsters, taking in a kind of grim satisfaction at the sounds of pain the creatures made. Ayme managed to turn while dancing around a Devil Hands and smirked upon seeing them.

"About time, Spirit-Girl!" she called, unloading what Arietta figured was the equivalent of a full clip into the monster. It shuddered and collapsed, dead.

"We're trying to make it to the palace, care to act as bodyguards?" Arietta asked, not caring that her right Wing changed to Kalas' as she used Shadow Wings. The mismatched Wings turned to Savyna's as she shot off an Erupting Flail right after.

"If you can get rid of these, sure!" Folon yelled back, making a group of monsters burn to ashes with Chaotic Flames.

"Somebody give me a really big-ass Light move!" Arietta said, getting Shining Seraph ready. Xelha practically threw the attack through the bond, and she grabbed it. Savyna's Wings changed to Xelha's as she pushed the two Light attacks together.

"Ayme, Folon, get out of the way!" she yelled. As soon as the two Imperials were out of the line of fire, Arietta let go of the new attack. "Spirit Combination: Wheel of Seraphim!"

The seal formed under the whole area, and the only warning of the attack was the feathers gently drifting down before they vanished in micro-bursts of light. The seal-marked area was suddenly bombarded with the balls of light from Xelha's Wheel of Light, and all the monsters, resistant to Light or not, were killed.

Xelha's Wings vanished, and Arietta fell to her knees, panting. Ayme pulled her to her feet.

"Can't rest now, Spirit-Girl."

"C'mon, Ari, we have to get to the palace," Andriana added, cautiously glancing at Ayme and Folon. Arietta nodded and steadied herself.

"I guess we're bodyguards now, Folon," Ayme said to get partner.

"Right. To the palace," Folon agreed.

The four made their way through Mintaka, not encountering any more monsters, which made the two Imperials jumpy.

"Isn't the surprising lack of monsters GOOD?" Andriana asked.

"No, because it either means that they're off terrorizing citizens, or Eris is toying with us and wants to make sure we get to her so she can finish us off. Either way, BAD," Arietta explained.

The four made it to the entrance of the palace without any further incident, which made everyone nervous.

"We'll stay here in case something happens," Ayme volunteered as she sent a glance to Folon, daring him to object.

"Well… Here goes nothing," Arietta said as she pushed open the doors. The swung open silently. The entrance hall was silent, and as the two girls walked in, they could hear their carpet-muffled footsteps echoing off the walls.

"This is… creepy," Andriana whispered. Arietta nodded.

'_Next part of the fortress should be the lowest level prisoner cells,_' Lyude directed. The two girls walked through the doorway, and nearly fell over.

Reality seemed to _warp_ around them, as they struggled to keep their balance. When the warping stopped, they looked around.

"Uh… Lyude? These aren't the lowest prison cells. I think this is the fourth floor intersection," Arietta stated once she was sure the nausea had passed.

'_What the hell just happened?_' Kalas asked, sounding more than a little shaken.

'_If the Great Mizuti be solid, the Great Mizuti not be feeling so well…_' Mizuti added, sounding dizzy.

'_That was… disturbing,_' Savyna said.

A sudden metallic sound was heard, making both Arietta and Andriana jump. Arietta looked around and ducked behind a pillar, dragging Andriana with her.

"Contaminated Walkers," she hissed at her friend's questioning look. They held their breath as the red machines came closer and closer to where they were hiding. One Walker paused near where they were, and Arietta thought her heart would stop from the fear of being caught.

The seconds passed like hours as they waited for the Walker to pass. When it finally did, Arietta sighed in relief and motioned for Andriana to follow her again.

"If we're on the fourth floor, we need to go this way to the elevators," she said almost silently. She and Andriana made their way silently towards he doorway. As soon as they crossed it, though, reality warped again, and suddenly they were in the girl's room on the third floor.

"This is gonna be tough," Andriana commented. Arietta said nothing as she dragged her friend back through the doorway. Suddenly they were in the bathrooms on the fifth floor. Back again through the doorway, and suddenly, they were in the place where they least wanted to be, but had to be.

The Throne Room.

"Welcome to my lair, little Guardian…" a velvety voice said, somehow echoing in both Arietta's head and throughout the chamber. Arietta and Andriana called out their Wings automatically.

In the dim light, Arietta could just barely make out someone sitting in the throne and someone standing behind the throne.

"Oh, that's right, you mortals can't see in lighting like this." The lights gradually got brighter, until Arietta and Andriana could see the occupants of the room.

Eris was sitting on the throne, looking for all the world as if she owned the universe. Unlike Discordia, Eris wore black leather pants and an off-the-shoulders shirt that looked just like Discordia's dress. The shirt stopped at her midriff and had long sleeves that belled at the bottom, and the material looked sheer enough that Arietta was surprised it wasn't translucent. Eris' black hair was unbound, and fell all the way to her hips. Her porcelain-white skin almost glowed in the still-dim lights, and her lips were the same blood red as her sister's, as were her eyes.

Behind the throne stood a young man, who looked no older than nineteen. He was holding up a battered-looking Melodia. Her white dress was ripped in places, and the stained-glass part was bent and cracked. She looked unconscious.

"Ah, I see you've noticed my little pet, little Spirit" Eris said. "Quite the catch, he is. I found him not long ago, in a small town outside of Annapolis. His confusion was exquisite. On one hand, he could have a faithful girlfriend who would love him, and on the other he could have a girl who would always be willing to give him a good romp. Of course, he didn't believe I was a goddess, until I took over his mind."

Arietta forced herself to look at the young man as Eris talked. She recognized him, and it felt like someone had taken one of Kalas's Ice Daggers and shoved it into her heart. He had short brown hair that was gelled into spikes, and green eyes set behind wire-rimmed glasses. His eyes were blank, as if there was nobody behind them, and his face was expressionless.

"Robert," Arietta whispered. The figurative dagger in her heart twisted painfully, and she felt tears rolling down her cheeks as her knees hit the floor.

"Oh, wonderful, you know each other!" Eris said, knowingly hurting Arietta even more.

"Stop hurting her!" Andriana yelled, not being able to watch any more. She brought out a Blood Sword and activated the Magnus in one motion. She charged at Eris.

'_Andri, don't!_' Xelha yelled out.

Andriana didn't listen, and Eris blasted her away. She landed on the floor with a sickening thump, and didn't move. Arietta looked from her friend's motionless body to Eris. Ignoring the tightening pain in her heart, she got up, taking out Demons of Darkness at the same time, but pain ripping through her back made her cry out and kneel down again. She looked up when she heard Eris laughing at her. Eris was holding a glowing indigo ball in her hand, and laughing in her velvety voice.

"Let me let you in on a little secret…" Eris crooned in that not-quite-out-loud voice. "Broken Wings mirror a broken Heart, little Guardian!"

Arietta looked at her Wings and gasped, and heard a few other gasps as well. Her Wings, which were previously pretty and webbed, were broken on the spines and tattered along the edge of the membranes. She tried to move them, and fresh tears started flowing from the pain, which intensified in both her heart and her back.

Looking at the goddess again, the last thing she saw was the woman's cruel smile and Robert's blank eyes before Eris threw the ball of shadows. The shadows engulfed Arietta, trying to cut her off from her Spirits.

'_Fight it, kid!_' Gibari yelled at her.

'_Arietta can be doing this!_' Mizuti encouraged.

'_You can't let this beat you!_' Kalas said. Arietta said nothing as the shadows enveloped her.

She opened her eyes to darkness. It was all around her, and she couldn't see anything. Faintly, in the background, she heard some familiar music. Just as the lyrics started, everything around her exploded in Technicolor, surround-sound, and motion.

**Perfect by nature,  
Icons of self indulgence.  
Just what we all need,  
More lies about a world that**

**Never was and never will be,  
Have you no shame don't you see me,  
You know you've got everybody fooled…**

She saw herself sitting in the psychiatrist's office, telling her about what had happened to her. Even though the play-back had no sound, she could hear it in her head.

"_I'm telling you, that's what happened! Xelha was the Ocean, the Islands rejoined the Earth, and everybody lost their Wings of Heart!_" Her father stood up suddenly, angry.

"_Arietta, this has to stop. It wasn't real, there is no such world as Baten Kaitos. There is nobody named Kalas, and no such thing as people becoming Guardian Spirits._"

**Look here she comes now,  
Bow down and stare in wonder.  
Oh how we love you,  
No flaws when you're pretending.  
But now I know she **

Never was and never will be,  
You don't know how you've betrayed me,  
And somehow you've got everybody fooled…

The scene suddenly changed to their first visit to Parnasse, when Kalas had given Melodia the Che End Magnus, and then back to her in the office by herself with her doctor. The real Arietta glared at the Melodia in the Parnasse scene, silently mocking her, but she couldn't stop the next play-back.

"_Now, is there such a thing as islands in the sky?_"

"_No._"

"_Or people with wings?_"

"_No._"

"_Or evil gods that want to destroy the world on a grudge?_"

"_No…_"

**Without the mask, **

**Where will you hide?**

An image of Robert appeared, smirking at Arietta cruelly, making the tears fall faster.**  
Can't find yourself **

**Lost in your lie!**

The image turned into Kalas, who looked at her with an expression of pleading.**  
I know the truth now…**

The image split in two, and Kalas and Robert were standing next to each other.**  
I know who you are…**

The Kalas image suddenly unfurled his magnificent white Wings and the whites in his eyes turned black.**  
And I don't love you anymore!**

An image of Melissa appeared next to the image of Robert and Arietta was suddenly filled with red-hot rage.

**It never was and never will be!**

The image of Robert blinked out of existence with Melissa in a shower of golden lights.**  
You're not real and you can't save me!**

The image of Kalas vanished in a cascade of white feathers.**  
Somehow now you're everybody's fool…**

Arietta saw herself alone in her room, crying on her bed; the exact scene from just days ago (_was it only days ago?_). She saw herself crying to the heavens and receiving no answer. She heard the music fade, and she was alone again in the silent darkness.

'_-tta!_'

Her ears perked at the faint sound.

"Is someone there?" she asked in an almost-silent whisper.

'_Ariet-!_' The call was stronger this time.

"Kalas…? Where are you?" Arietta looked around and didn't see anyone.

'_Snap out of it, Arietta!_' This time, he came through loud and clear.

"I can hear you, but where are you?" Arietta called back.

'_Come back to us!_' That one was Xelha.

"Where is everyone?" Arietta yelled to the darkness. Slowly, an image of Kalas materialized in front of her.

"You have to come back!" he said, holding out his hand. Arietta was suddenly suspicious.

"How do I know it's you?" she asked, backing up a step. The image looked pleadingly at her.

"You'll have to trust me," he said. Then he gave one of his trademark grins. "Unless you want to stay here?"

"You leave me here and I swear I'll come back as a ghost and haunt you forever! You've been warned," Arietta retorted. She reached for his hand.

"That's my vengeful little Spirit," he said and she took his hand. The world around her exploded with light, and suddenly she was back in her body, on her knees in the Imperial Throne Room.

"So," Eris said, sounding disgusted. Arietta snapped her eyes to the goddess. She looked mad. "The pathetic One-Wing managed to free you from your heart. I guess that's impressive. But he won't be able to help you defeat me!" With that, Eris lunged at Arietta. The girl yelped and fell to the side, and Eris just missed her.

"Plan, plan, need a PLAN, here!" she said as she kept dodging the attacks.

'_Combinations worked on Discordia before, maybe they'll work on Eris now,_' Savyna said.

"My sister was weak!" Eris yelled. "She gave me her power! I'm stronger than she ever was!"

'_Okay, no on the double-attacks,_' Gibari said.

"But maybe more than two will work," Arietta murmured, a rough plan forming. "Lyude, could you work a Fire-based move if you had to?"

'_Yes, I'm sure I could,_' the Imperial replied.

"Alright," Arietta said as she ran away from Eris and took out her six Guardian Magnus. "Lyude, Hellfire. Savyna, Sacred Spring. Gibari, Distorting Wind. Mizuti, Lingering Time. Xelha, Shining Seraph, and Kalas, Demons of Darkness. Power them up as much as you possibly can."

'_Right,_' Gibari said.

'_I will,_' Lyude promised.

'_The Great Mizuti be called 'the GREAT Mizuti' and will help make the attack stronger,_' Mizuti insisted again.

'_Affirmative,_' Savyna stated.

'_Alright!_' Xelha said.

'_Do I have to get the dark one? Okay, okay!_' Kalas amended when he got glared at.

The air practically hummed with power as the six worked on powering the spells. When the Magnus couldn't take any more, she spread her Wings and took to the air, yelling, "Now let them go!"

The six energies were released from the Magnus holding them captive and Arietta felt the pure power rushing through her body. Using the trust she had formed with her friends, she melded them all together into a many-colored beam of light, which she aimed at Eris.

"_Spirit Combination: Guardian's Trust!_" Arietta could hear all the other voices overlaying hers. The myriad of colors caught Eris off-guard and hit her dead on. The seven were blinded by the explosion of colors, but they could hear Eris screaming. When the colors cleared, they saw her.

For the most part, it was the same result as what happened to Discordia. Eris' skin was charred and flaking off in little black chunks, and her hair was little more than ashes on her head. Her outfit was burned and partially melted to her body. Arietta landed and walked up to the fallen goddess.

"How? How were you able to defeat Chaos?" the woman asked through blistering lips.

"Chaos doesn't follow the rules, and neither did we," Arietta responded. "You didn't follow the rules of physics, so we didn't have to either."

"Very clever, little Guardian. Using my own rules against me. But beware, there's never order without chaos." With that, her body disintegrated, and the dust vanished. Behind the throne, Robert jumped as his mind was freed, and against the wall, Andriana stirred. Ignoring Robert, Arietta raced over to her best friend.

"Did we beat her?" Andriana asked, still looking dazed.

"Down to the bloody bowels of Hell, Andri."

"About damn time. Hey, your Wings are different…" They were. Now they were jointed, looking like big bat wings, and they were back to the original coloring.

"Arietta? Is that… you?" Robert's voice echoed across the room. Arietta turned around, raw fury filling her. She saw her six Guardians superimposing over their lights as they all stormed across the room. Arietta didn't notice her body getting more and more translucent until she was right next to Robert. She tried to slap him, but her hand went through his face. Shocked, she looked from her hand to her friends. She was getting more and more see-through, and they were getting gradually more solid. Within seconds, she was nothing more than a floating blue light. Robert gently set Melodia on the throne.

'_Dammit, I wanted to hit him so badly!_' she raged. Kalas tugged on their bond and pulled her into his body, moving aside to give her control. She twisted his face into a smirk when she realized what he did.

"Oh yeah," she said, more than slightly startled at not hearing her voice, "this is more like it." With that, she pulled back their fist and sank it into Robert's stomach. She watched with grim pleasure as he sank to the ground, gasping for air. "That's better." She gave Kalas back his body. '_Thanks, I needed that._'

"Um… Hello? Can any of you send me home?" Andriana walked up to the six fighters, wobbling slightly.

"We can get you home in Nekton. We have to go back to Mira anyways to take Melodia back," Gibari answered. Andriana nodded and passed out. Gibari caught her.

"Let's take this idiot," Savyna motioned to Robert, "and get back."

Soon, everyone was on Melodia's ship, heading to Mira.

On the ship, Arietta had Everybody's Fool still stuck in her head.

'_Stupid Kalas being a stupid tenor and a stupid octave lower than me… Tenors do NO justice to soprano music…_' she grumbled.

Everybody but Kalas and Xelha tensed.

"Everybody heard that, right?" Lyude asked finally. Savyna, Gibari, and Mizuti all nodded.

'_Heard what?_' Arietta asked.

"You," Lyude said, "we can still hear you."

"Heh, we're all still bonded to you," Gibari chuckled. "Can't get rid of us that easy, Squirt."

"_Now approaching Balancoire port, please prepare to disembark._"

They felt the jolt of the ship hitting port, and got ready to leave.

'_Let's take the Lady to the Manor, and then head to Nekton,_' Arietta suggested.

"You're the boss, Ari," Kalas said.

It didn't take long to get to the Calbren Manor. The maids asked if they would stay, but Lyude told them that they had to leave.

It took slightly longer to get to Nekton.

"So… How do I get home, again?" Andriana asked, having woken up five minutes before.

"You wait for an Interdimensional Crack to open," Kalas responded. As if on cue, a Crack opened up.

"And there's your one-way ticket home," Gibari stated. Without another word, he tossed Robert through. Andriana grinned.

"Bye, everyone, I had a blast!" With that, she jumped through. That one left one thing.

"I guess this is goodbye," Xelha said.

'_Yeah,_' Arietta responded. '_I'm gonna miss you all so much, and you better visit this time!_'

"The Great Mizuti will make sure of it!" Mizuti announced. Arietta laughed. She reluctantly left from Kalas again, and was pulled into the Interdimensional Crack.


	17. Define Normal

She reluctantly left Kalas again, and was pulled into the Interdimensional Crack.

As she went, she could feel herself growing more and more solid, and she landed on the hard blacktop parking lot with a thump. Getting up and rubbing her sore butt, she looked around. She was in the parking lot of the Rose Plaza, where she left. She checked her pockets and found that her six Magnus were gone. After a quick test, she concluded that she had her magic back and began to walk back home.

She wasn't even to her front porch yet when her mother opened the door.

"Oh my baby girl, I was so worried about you!" Gabrielle gushed as she rushed to embrace Arietta. "Where were you? What happened?"

"Mama, you're never going to believe this…" Arietta said. She sighed and called out her Wings of Heart. Her mother gasped, recognition filling her eyes.

"Ari… You'd better tell me the whole story…" Gabrielle led Arietta inside, and they sat on the couch. Arietta pulled her Wings back in and began to talk.

"Ma, remember about three and a half years ago, when they found me passed out in the book store?"

"You were comatose, I remember, I was so worried."

"Well, I wasn't in my body. I remember waking up in a place called-"

"Nekton, near Balancoire in Mira." Arietta stared at her mother.

"How'd you-?" she tried to ask.

"Who were you a Spirit for?" Gabrielle asked back, memories of her own Guarded filling her mind.

"His name is Kalas."

"You mean that boy that Georg created from a Magnus?"

"Yeah, him. But how'd you…?"

"Never mind that. Continue."

Arietta told her mother the whole story, pausing only once to get the book from her nightstand. It was a lot thicker than she remembered, and the title had changed. As she relayed the story, she flipped through the book. On the Table of Contents, she found the book was split into three parts: Origins, Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean, and Guardian Wings.

Occasionally, her mother would ask about a place, or a specific person, leading Arietta to wonder just how much her mother knew.

"I met Xelha, Gibari, Lyude, Savyna, and Mizuti, and the seven of us stopped Malpercio from destroying the world. Melodia summoned him; but she was being manipulated by Eris, who we had to beat this time."

"Eris… Isn't she the Goddess of Chaos?"

"Not any more. We sealed her away in one of those pocket dimensions, the ones that you can fall into in the-"

"Trail of Souls."

"Mama, how do you know all this stuff?"

Gabrielle gave a knowing smile, and closed her eyes. There was a flash of spring green, and a pair of Wings of Heart appeared on her back. Arietta yelped and fell off the couch.

Gabrielle's Wings were a pale, creamy rose. She had two Wings on either side, much like her daughter, but they weren't membranous and jointed. They were large and feathered, and they shimmered slightly when the light hit them, turning them from creamy rose to a pale orange-rose.

She muttered a phrase, and the papers on the coffee table exploded in flames. Arietta jumped and immediately cast Sacred Spring. She looked up at her mother, who had a look of understanding on her face.

"I was a Guardian Spirit myself, about twenty-five years ago. I fell off the roof of your grandmother's house, and put myself in a coma. I was whisked off to Nekton, where I met him. He was supposedly an Imperial assassin, but he had Wings of Heart."

Arietta nodded, heart falling into her stomach, already missing Kalas.

"Who was he?" she asked finally. Gabrielle smiled.

"His name was Sagi."

---

"You need a ride to school?" Gabrielle called. She gave a warm, knowing smile when her daughter rushed past, grabbing her breakfast and her schoolbag as she ran out the door.

"No, Mama, I'm gonna fly there!" Arietta called back, already calling out her Wings of Heart.

"Alright," Gabrielle yelled out the door, "just make sure nobody sees, and come straight home after work, I have a surprise for you!"

"Alright, Ma!"

Arietta flew off in the direction of the school as fast as her Wings could take her, which was a lot faster than they could before. The joints did a lot. She landed in the back fields and called in her Wings as quickly as she could.

"Ari!"

Arietta looked around and saw Andriana flying towards her, vibrant Wings beating quickly. Andriana called in her Wings and dropped the last ten feet to the ground, meeting her friend and rushing inside. They made it to homeroom just as the bell rang.

"Ari, that was kickass what you did to Eris! And that redhead was HOT! PLEASE tell me we'll see them again!" Andriana rambled, completely ignoring the morning announcements. Arietta grinned, tuning back in just in time for the tail end of the speech.

"…_and as a reminder to all Concert Choir people, there's a rehearsal today at five after school. If you're not there, you won't get to participate in the concert and you will fail the course unless you have a valid reason for not attending. Thank you, and have a wonderful day._"

Arietta went through the day somewhat on auto-pilot. Several times, she caught herself trying to talk to Lyude or Gibari or even Mizuti, and staring out at the sky longingly.

'_Alright, Ari, pull it together, you're here now, you're-_' she cut herself off, not daring to even think the word _home_. She mentally slapped herself for her next thought; '_There was more home than here ever was…_'

"Arietta! Could you please tell us the answer to number six on page four nineteen?"

Arietta jerked to attention. She flipped the page and glanced at the requested question. _What Italian term was given to the intervals in music?_ She silently thanked every deity she knew of that she hung around Lyude for so long.

"The term is _intermezzo_, which literally means interval," she said. The teacher glowered.

"Very good, but next time, make sure your mind is with your body in class!" she snapped, turning back to the board.

The rest of the day went similarly. Even at work, her co-workers commented on how out-of-it she was. As it stood, she was creeping around ever corner, subconsciously expecting there to be a Cursed Grimoire or a Skelton Warrior waiting for her. Twice she found herself about to cast a Shining Seraph on things that startled her.

She rushed from work straight to the rehearsal. She relaxed slightly as she took her place on the highest riser on the far left, being the tallest soprano. When the music started, she completely relaxed. She was in her element; this was where she belonged, surrounded by music. After they finished the other songs, the director stood up.

"Alright, anyone who's going to audition for this solo, come down here!"

"I can't believe she's letting us sing an Evanescence song!" a girl near Arietta exclaimed.

"Yeah," her friend replied, "after Arietta sang it at the talent show, everyone loved it, so Johnson couldn't say no."

Arietta stepped down from the risers and waited for her turn to audition. She heard whispers about herself, about her getting it, hands down. She grinned and ignored them in favor of stepping up to the microphone.

"Don't say I'm out of touch…" she sang, losing herself to the melody. She closed her eyes. "With this rampant chaos—your reality… I know well what lies beyond my sleeping refuge… The nightmare I built my own world to escape…"

When she finished, she heard clapping in the back of the auditorium. Her eyes snapped open, and she gasped.

Kalas, Xelha, Gibari, Lyude, Savyna, and Mizuti. Granted, they were all wearing clothes from her world, but it was still them.

'_But-wait-but-but-how- GAH, why can't rehearsal be over!_' she thought, the only coherent thing in her jumbled-up thoughts.

'_Don't worry, we can wait,_' Xelha's voice echoed in her mind. Arietta jumped so badly she almost knocked over the mike-stand. Shaking her head, she hurried back up the risers. For the rest of rehearsal, she was jumpy and nervous. After what seemed like an eternity, they were released. Arietta didn't even wait for the people in front of her to leave the risers; she jumped off the back. Using every bit of her duck-and-dodge ability, she wove through the crowd of people towards her friends.

"Hey, Ari!" Gibari said as she ducked past three girls. He was wearing jeans and a Hawaiian shirt that was an eye-popping shade of orange.

"Wait, how'd- but-but-but-" Arietta sputtered. Kalas grinned.

"I think we fried her brain," he commented, earning himself a light thump on the head from Xelha. Kalas was wearing jeans and a black shirt that said '_Your village called, they want their idiot back_.' Xelha was wearing a pink top and a flow-y denim skirt.

"Could we perhaps leave? These girls keep staring at me," Lyude asked. He was in a sensible button-down white shirt and gray pants. Savyna, in her green shirt and dark leggings, nodded.

"Y-yeah, let's… go to my house…" Arietta said, still trying to wrap her mind around the fact that her friends were in front of her, in the flesh.

"You be wondering how we be here, correct?" Mizuti asked. She wasn't wearing her mask, or the odd hat that she usually had. Her teal hair was getting her stares from passers-by, but she ignored them. She was even walking on the ground as opposed to floating. She was wearing a flowery sun dress that was mainly pink and orange.

"Yeah, let's start there."

"It was a collaboration between the witches of Wazn and the Children of the Earth," Savyna said.

"Yes, they opened a passage for us in Nekton so we could visit," Lyude added.

"We missed you, and we wanted to see you again," Xelha said.

"Well," Arietta said, slowly getting over her shock and grinning, "you're here now. Welcome to my home!"


	18. Legend of the Guardian Wings

**The Legend of the Ones who Saved the World**

There was once a pair of good friends.

A boy with eyes like the sky and hair the color of the deepest ocean and a girl with a voice like a bell.

The boy was living happily with his brother and grandfather until tragedy struck. All alone, he called out for help, wishing for a kindred spirit to help him avenge his dead family.

The girl was living peacefully, not knowing of the tragedy that befell her counterpart. She was torn from her body and cast through time and space, where she met with a boy who wanted companionship and a strange world.

They became friends and Bonded, their fates intertwined. Guardian and Guarded.

For nearly three years they were together, until they met an unusual young woman with eyes of gold and hair like the sun. She spoke of a coming crisis and pleaded for their help.

Soon after their party was joined by a friendly fisherman from the neighboring nation who wanted to help protect all he held dear. He was possessed of quick reflexes and even quicker humor, and always knew how to lighten a mood.

A soldier with hair like fire and an affinity to music requested to help. Slowly their party grew, but unfortunately, so did the threat of the crisis.

In the next nation, they acquired another member of their rag-tag party. A huntress with midnight hair and eyes of steel with a sharp tongue and sharper weapons. She agreed to help the cause to find her place in the world.

The last to join the group was an odd little girl. Youngest of the seven, she was always clothed in a rainbow made solid and floated above the ground with some sort of unearthly power.

Together, they formed a tight group that trusted each other unconditionally.

At least, until the betrayal.

Surprisingly, it was the boy who betrayed the group. He had conspired with the enemy to avenge his family, doing what he had to for power. In his power-blinded haze, he cast out his long-time Guardian, and pushed away his friends.

The girl with the sunshine hair took it the worst. In order to comfort her and carry out their mission, the Guardian formed a bond with her. Together, they rescued their companions and confronted the boy.

He refused to give up his newly-found power, even though it stemmed from an evil resurrected god. The group was beaten soundly and retreated to regroup.

The sun-haired girl took them to her homeland, least affected by the evil power. She revealed herself to be the Queen of her lands, those of Ice. She retrieved a mystical item that was hidden away, and the group returned to bring back their wayward companion.

They narrowly succeeded, and fell back once again to gain strength. The boy, whose head was now clear, saw the error of his ways, and begged forgiveness. His former Guardian forgave him when she saw his sincerity, and, trusting her judgment, the rest did as well.

The group fought many battles together and formed bonds of friendship and unity stronger than any seen before. Soon, they were ready to fight the evil god and erase his taint from the world forever.

It was a long and grueling battle. Three mystical artifacts were used, but not even they could hold up under the terrible onslaught of evil. In the end, only the trust between the Guardian and her Guarded could destroy the ancient god and seal his power away from the hearts of men.

Battered and bruised, the friends went their separate ways to help repair their war-torn homelands. No place escaped damage.

Soon, though, it was time for the Guardian and her Guarded to finally part ways. Neither wanted to let the other go, for they had become such good friends they couldn't imagine nor remember life without the other.

"Will I see you again?" the boy asked, voice thick with suppressed sobs.

"Of course. This is more my home than that one ever was," the Guardian replied. She said more, but it was lost as she was pulled back into her own body, through time and space, though her final words echoed through the clearing and the boy's mind.

A year later, the girl and boy still never forgot one another. The girl found a potential partner, and the boy courted the girl with sunshine hair.

Unfortunately, the Guardian's happiness was about to take a drastic turn. Her partner left her for another, leaving her heartbroken.

Heart-sore, the girl jumped at the chance to be reunited with her Guarded while in her physical body.

Overjoyed to see one another again, the group of friends caught up on each other. Another enemy had announced herself; one stronger than the evil god with even more wicked intentions. The newly reunited group made plans for the new enemy's demise.

It was an unknowing trade, their bodies for hers.

Sent home again, the Guardian was shocked to find that roles have been switched; she was now the Guarded and her friends had become her Guardians.

Taking this in stride, she found a way back again, only to find she had dragged yet another soul into this mess: her own best friend. Faced with finding and eliminating a goddess, the two young women travel throughout the nations, hoping to cut off the path of chaos this new woman is carving, only to find they are too late every time.

In the end it came down to the former Guardian against the new Goddess. The Guardian had the upper hand; her trust in her friends gave her strength. The tables turned when the Goddess played a trick: pulling the girl's former partner into the fight. However, the Goddess didn't anticipate the unbridled fury the young woman still harbored, and instead of taking over, she was banished to the farthest reaches of the universe.

Exhausted, the young woman didn't notice her body start to vanish. However, she did notice her six friends materialize around her, all giving their silent support. Soon, all that was left of the Guardian was her spirit, which was drawn back into her Guarded. Her best friend, intimidated in the presence of such seasoned warriors, asked to be sent home. The two promise to meet each other again and part ways.

The time came once again for the Guardian and Guarded to part with one another. This time, they promised to visit if at all possible, and the Guardian was transported through time and space once again, gaining back her body as she's sent 'home'. Her last words echoed through the clearing and through the boy's mind.

'_I'll never forget you, my Raven…_'

* * *

OMG, I finished. AND I have a sequel planned, called Glass Wings. Look for it soon!

EDIT:

Holy crap. I actually finished a fic. Me. Finished. This was posted at eleven at night, by the way. Hence the hurried 'OMG i finished' part. I DO have a sequel planned, it was thought up about four chapters back. -glares at Rebbe- Oh, come on, you spoiled it! now I have to summarize it to explain Brennan! Yeah, btw, I'd REALLY like to thank rebbe for helping me out so damn much, I wouldn't have been able to finish without her help.

Basic summary: Arietta is now almost thirty-five, and has a daughter named Willow. While at the park, Willow sees something in a tree, and when she climbs up to get it, she loses her grip and falls. When she wakes up, she's pretty shocked to find out that she's not in her body; not even home. The first thing she sees is a boy close to her own age wandering around the forest. Inexplicably, she's drawn to him and they bond.

Meanwhile, the big evil person is someone we all know. You'll all find out later, and DON'T give it away, Rebbe!

And that's all I'll tell you, you'll have to bear with me and keep track of updates.


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